Jalopnik: bad drivers

Woman Passes License Exam On 950th Attempt

Wes Siler — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST

A Korean woman has passed the written driving test on her 950th attempt. Having tried nearly daily since 2005, she finally managed to meet the minimum score of 60% and now plans to attempt the practical test. [AP]

Travel Channel Searches For America's Worst Driver

The Auto Insider — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EDT

Hot on the heels of BBC's hit show, Britain's Worst Driver, comes a similar series for us Yanks called, The Streets of America: The Search for America's Worst Driver. Hmm...wonder what they're looking for.

According to Variety, A. Smith and Co. plans to produce the show for the Travel Channel. We hope this isn't just one big hackneyed joke with weekly episodes featuring stereotypically female drivers, though with a background including being credited with the production of Hell's Kitchen, I Survived a Japanese Game Show and the upcoming Crash Course, anything's possible. Who's the worst driver you know? [via Variety]

New York, New Jersey Top List Of Dumbest Driver States

Ray Wert — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EDT

Spend just a few minutes driving on congested New York City streets, and you'll immediately see some of the world's worst driving. GMAC's fifth National Drivers Test reveals just how horrible — along with news drivers nationwide are getting worse.

The study, the fifth annual GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test, found 20.1% of licensed Americans — roughly 41 million drivers — would not pass a 20-question standard DMV written drivers test exam if taken today. And those numbers of knowledge of basic road rules have been decreasing with each year the survey is given, with this year's test scores lower than last year's (76.6 percent vs. 78.1 percent).

State-by-state, Idaho and Wisconsin drivers tied for first in the nation, with an average test score of 80.6%; New York drivers ranked last, with an average score of 70.5%. Figures. Don't think this is an anomaly — it's the second time Idaho ranked first and the second time New York has ranked last in the survey's five-year history.

As you'd also expect from those numbers, the lowest average test scores geographically occurred in the Northeast, while the states in the Midwest held the highest averages.

When comparing genders, men are still more likely to pass the test than women, but the gap is considerably smaller in 2009 (81 percent of males versus 79 percent of females) than in 2008 (87 percent of males versus 80 percent of females).

Want to take the test yourself? Head on over to the website of GMAC Insurance and see how you score. Let us know in the comments below. Let's see if Jalopnik readers can beat Idaho.

Hat tip to Matt Helms!

This Is Why People Think BMW Drivers Are Asshats

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:20:00 EDT

According to the photographer, the owner of this BMW 335i parks like this every day. [Imageshack via Reddit]

Are You A Sidezoomer, Lineupper, Ersatz Exit-Laner, Or Vigilante?

Murilee Martin — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Anyone who's done any driving around the San Francisco Bay Area will likely flinch at the mention of the dreaded Caldecott Tunnel, whose crazy merges and direction-changes provide the perfect petri dish for growing cultures of bad driver behavior. Cynthia Gorney has written a humorous (yet deadly accurate) piece describing the different ways in which drivers deal with the Caldecott. I freely admit to being a Caldecott Vigilante; I know it's bad, but I must punish the wrongdoers (even though one of them will probably start busting caps at me for it). Since it's Monday, let's have a poll; make the jump to cast your vote. [New York Times]