2011 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test

Methodology

GMAC Insurance conducted an online survey to test driving knowledge among the licensed U.S. drivers. The study was administered by TNS, a leading market information resource and the world's largest provider of custom research and analysis.

The 20-question multiple-choice test simulated a standard written drivers test, with questions taken verbatim from various department of motor vehicle (DMV) written tests (but not state specific). Regional differentiators, such as what to do when driving in a snow or sand storm, have been removed from the test to create a universal set of questions.

Following completion of the survey, respondents were given their score on the drivers test questions. The test is based on a zero to 100 score with each of the 20 questions weighted at 5 points a piece. Scores that are 70% and below are considered a failing score. Each state is then ranked from highest to lowest score.

The sample was comprised of 5,130 total respondents. Inclusion criteria required licensed drivers, aged 16-65 years. The sample was balanced in gender, age and ethnicity to the latest U.S. Census data. Furthermore, it included at least 100 respondents from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The sample was selected from the Lightspeed On-line volunteer consumer panel and was weighted to reflect the U.S. population. The margin of error is 2.1 percent, which takes into account sampling error from selecting a sample from the Lightspeed consumer panel. Analysis was conducted across age group, gender, ethnicity and state/geographical region.