Florida's Drivers Among The Worst--New York Stinks, While Idaho's Tops
I am a personal injury attorney representing the rights of people injured in car accidents through no fault of their own. I am also a Magistrate and Hearing Officer, which means that I act as a judge in Traffic Court in Jacksonville. So naturally, I was intrigued by U.S. News & World Report's recent state-by-state study on America's Worst Drivers.
Florida: we ranked 43rd. That's not bad... if there are 700 states, that is. While Idaho ranked #1, New Jersey bowed out as last year's worst, making way for New York. GMAC Insurance's 2009 National Drivers Test tested 5,000 drivers in each state, evaluating their basic knowledge of driving laws. Alarmingly, over 20% of America's drivers could not pass the written driver's test. That's about 41 million drivers from sea to shining sea who don't know the meaning of a yellow light or how to calculate a safe following distance.
Want to blame grandma and grandpa for our traffic woes? Think again! The study shows a direct correlation between increasing age and improved test scores. In other words, there's a reason why your teenager's insurance premiums are through the roof.
How will you do? Take the test to see if you will fare better than your fellow drivers. I did. Tell me how you did on your test, and I'll tell you how I performed on mine.
