[trafficsafety] Re: [shift] Good news/bad news about how Oregon car drivers routinely treat pedestrians ...

i would be in favor of requiring more than 70% correct to allow someone behind the wheel. 95% or better is my suggestion.

On 9/23/06, Curt Dewees < curt.dewees@gmail.com> wrote:

Something we've all suspected but couldn't prove ...

 

[Source: MSN.com]

 

20% of car drivers would fail a driving test today

 

 

"At least one of every five drivers doesn't know when to use bright lights, how to follow directional arrows or when highways are the most slippery, results from a national driver's test show.

"GMAC Insurance administered a 20-question test -- similar to a traditional licensing test at the local DMV – to 5,288 drivers and released the results last week. Of those tested, nearly 10% were unable to answer enough questions correctly to achieve a passing score of 70.

"If the test results are any guide, America's pedestrians are in deep, deep trouble.
 

• 20% of drivers do not know that a pedestrian has the right of way at a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
  
• 1 in 3 drivers don't usually stop for pedestrians – even if they're in a crosswalk or at a yellow light.
  
• One-third admit they speed up to make a yellow light even when pedestrians are in the crosswalk.

[The good news: Oregon drivers ranked the most knowledgeable in the nation, with 90% to pass a driver's test today.  On the flip side, that means 10% of Oregon's car drivers don't know how to drive safely... and yet they're still out there, mindlessly threatening the lives and safety of bicyclists and pedestrians every time they get behind the wheel. -- CD]

Here's the link:

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Insurance/Insureyourcar/P151501.asp?GT1=8580

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nicholas.d.johnson@gmail.com