Minnesota drivers are fourth smartest in the nation

billypalooza

Most Minnesotans haven't read this best seller, it would seem.

​The next time some driver cuts you off in traffic or blazes through a stop sign, and you holler, scream and pound your steering wheel, console yourself with this thought: Things could be a whole lot worse.

As bad as the drivers around us seem to be, they're smarter than those in 46 other states and the District of Columbia, at least according to the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test, which ranks Minnesota drivers 4th in the nation for driving knowledge.

The test also shows that there really are a lot of idiots on the road: GMAC figures that 20 percent of all Americans would fail to meet the basic requirements to get a driver's license -- that's roughly 36.9 million American drivers.

The northeast is worst driving region in the country, while the Midwest is the best. One out of three drivers in New York and Washington, D.C. failed the test, although New York is now longer ranked bottom in the survey. That honor goes to our nation's capital.

And in a finding sure to ignite plenty of sexist jokes and domestic squabbles, GMAC also found that American men are generally better drivers than women: One in four women failed the test, and men out-performed women on the test with an average score of 80.2 percent versus 74.1 percent for females.

Think you're a smarter driver than everyone else? Take a GMAC quiz via Facebook.