According to a new GMAC Insurance report, the answer is yes. GMAC conducted testing of average Americans to see if they could pass a driver’s test today, and found with startling results that we would not. Teenagers endure hours of driver’s education to learn obscure rules of the road in order to pass a test that they will never have to take again. According to GMAC, without the pressure of ever being tested again, we become lazy and dangerous drivers. Drivers in the Northeast, Rhode Island in particular, are the worst.
The study concluded that 1 in 11 drivers, or roughly 18 million people, would fail a driver test if it were given to them today.
The report identifies pedestrians as a group particularly harmed by our inept driving. Roughly 1 in 3 drivers would not stop for a pedestrian in the road even if they are in a crosswalk or at a yellow light. This might explain why pedestrian accidents constitute the second largest category of auto accident related deaths in the US. 43% of all pedestrian injuries and 22% of fatal injuries to pedestrians occur in collisions with motor vehicles at intersections. In addition, many pedestrians are killed on sidewalks, median strips and traffic islands.
Another problem is the growing rise of texting while driving, which while illegal in Rhode Island, is almost impossible to police. Texting while driving is more dangerous than drunk driving and is causing an increase in the number of auto accidents and accident related injuries.
We all live in the Northeast, and apparently, that means accidents will happen. If you or a family member has been involved in an auto accident, contact our office for a free initial consultation.