GMAC: Montanans the Nation’s Third-Smartest Drivers

By Kellyn Brown, 5-20-09

This caught my attention this morning because, like many of you, I often complain about Montana drivers. According to the fifth annual GMAC National Drivers Test, I may be overacting. Apparently, our state is home to the third-most knowledgeable drivers in the nation.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Results from the 2009 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test released today rank Montana drivers 3rd in the nation for their driving knowledge. The fifth annual survey, which polled 5,183 licensed Americans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, is designed to gauge driver knowledge by administering 20 actual questions taken from state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) exams. Montana drivers had an average score of 80.5 percent (70 percent or higher is required to pass the test); 9.8 percent of Montana respondents failed the test. In 2008, the state ranked 15th.

The most knowledgeable drivers in the country live in Wisconsin and next door to us in Idaho. Let’s just say I remain skeptical. The Top 10:

1) Idaho
1) Wisconsion
3) Montana
4) Kansas
5) South Dakota
5) Nebraska
7) Utah
8) Wyoming
8) Iowa
8) Oregon
8) Minnesota

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