Report finds S.C. 39th on list of dumbest drivers

An interesting survey crossed my desk recently. It stated that, according to an insurance company study, 33 million drivers would flunk the driver test if they took it today. The study also showed that New Jersey was the worst state for driver knowledge, but it was not too comforting to find that South Carolina drivers rank 39th in being the dumbest drivers.

It’s easy to acquire a lot of bad habits, especially if you don’t focus on your driving and drive defensively. The worst habit of all is the form of driver aggression known as tailgating. I generally drive the speed limit, but when roads are wet or other factors make an increased safety margin necessary, I slow down. And I’m often plagued with drivers riding my back bumper.

I’ve been tempted to come up with appropriate bumper stickers such as: “If you can read this, you are too close” or “I brake for tailgaters!” but after consideration, I come to the conclusion that this solution would only add to the danger.

Alcohol and drowsiness account for a large share of the accidents, but being in a hurry is also high on the list. It leads to really really dumb things like passing on a curve or passing on the right, both of which I’ve seen done within the last few days. Last week I watched two cars breeze past a stopped school bus without any hesitation. If I hadn’t been stopped myself I would have gotten tag numbers.

Aggressive driving is bad for another reason — it’s bad for the health of the driver. If you have an aggressive driver in your family, look for him or her to have an early heart attack or stroke, because blood pressure rises with the pressure of hurried driving.

A more relaxed attitude is a lifesaver in more ways than one. We don’t have to get there yesterday — and trying may mean we don’t get there at all. Being alert and compensating for possible accident setups is always a good idea.

Backing up is inherently dangerous. It’s best if you can avoid doing it. But how many times do we park knowing we will have to back out of the space, when there are spaces that we could drive out of? Who knows when a little kid will run behind us as we back up?

That’s a horror to contemplate. I pray that I will always be spared the moment of inattention or the dumb act that causes me to run over a child. A friend of mine hit a child through no fault of his own, and never could live a normal life again. How much worse, if he had been responsible!

Driver courtesy is simply a matter of putting yourself into another driver’s shoes. For example, there are two spaces in front of the Hemingway post office.

It’s incredible how many times someone will park in the middle, taking both spaces!

Or stopping at the back space when the front one is clear, forcing the next driver to back into the front one!

Well, I don’t know if my grumbling on the subject will help anyone else, but it’s a bit of catharsis for me. Perhaps I can sum it up with this final thought.

“If you don’t know how to use the turn signal, what makes you think you are qualified to drive the rest of the car?”

P.S. You can take the national driver test online at gmacinsurance.com to see if you could pass it today.