Jalopnik: dmv

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!

Official Obama License Plates Make President Jump Shark

Andrew Didorosi — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:30:00 EST

Illinois continues to push President Obama as a full-time celebrity with commemorative license plates with a curiously short lifetime.

These limited edition Obama license plates are just $50! You heard me right, just $50 and you too can be rolling in true 'Bama style. Even though these plates are only good for 60 days beginning February 17th and ending April 17th, the memories will last forever.

But wait! There's more! All of your plate-purchasing dollars will be given straight to Illinois libraries. Not only do you get a stunning pair of Obama plates, but you'll also get that warm feeling that usually only comes from our other great seller, delicious Breakfast Scotch®. Call Now!

[CBN]

50 Vanity Plates That Slipped By The DMV

The Auto Insider — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST

We've featured some pretty wild vanity plates in the past, but now we've compiled a gallery of the best 50 to slip past the DMV. We're still waiting for one that says CRPCLIPS. Anyone?

[via carlounge]

Car Thief Gets Parking Ticket, Owner Gets Fine

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:15:00 EDT

A victim of car theft in Washington DC is being pestered by a collection agency to pay up on an 18-month-old parking ticket written while the car was on it's leave of absence from its rightful owner. Steve Steinberg has vowed never to pay the $205 fine and is wondering why the car didn't come up as stolen when the ticket was being written — a fair question if you ask us. Of course the local officials are blaming the fine on Steinberg's lack of action on the ticket, but of course that doesn't stand up when the old boy waves a fist full of letters he sent to the DMV on the subject. [WUSA9]

Personalized Plate Slips by North Carolina DMV

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:15:00 EST

Apparently the North Carolina DMV is unfamiliar with the darker corners of the internet because they've let a whopper of a plate slip through the screening process. If you've ever seen what this plate is referring to, may God have mercy on your soul. There are just some things you can't unsee. We're sure the proud new owner of this plate will have a lot of splainin' to do when the first net savvy cop pulls him over for some form of public indecency.

Molesting DMV Instructor Heads to Hoosegow

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 15:11:32 EDT

Convicted on 29 misdemeanor charges, including 19 counts of annoying or molesting a child under the age of 18, eight counts of sexual battery and two counts of battery (which all occurred in a two-week period), Calvin Hoang Cat of San Jose is looking at two years in prison for grabbing young women's breasts during the parallel parking section of their driver's test. Cat claims the fondling was brought on by fear of being in a car driven by another person. We're wondering if he wasn't all hepped up on Twinkies at the time.

Molesting driving instructor gets two years [SFGate]

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