By Jessie Elder
Nearly 20 million Americans ? or about 1 in 10 drivers ? would fail a state driver?s test if they had to take one today, according to a recent study. While this statistic may shock some, it doesn?t surprise many BYU students who have low opinions of Utah drivers.
The study, commissioned by GMAC insurance, showed that 1 in 5 drivers nationwide doesn?t know that a pedestrian on a crosswalk has the right of way. One of 3 drivers speeds up to make a yellow light ? even when pedestrians are present.
These unsettling results were part of a study of almost 5,000 licensed drivers nationwide, ages 16?65. The test consisted of 20 questions similar to those used in administering state drivers permits or licenses.
In the state-by-state scores on the driving test, Utah ranked at No. 33 in a tie with Arizona. Oregon came in at No. 1 for the best drivers, and Rhode Island placed last.
Despite being No. 33 out of 50, most BYU students still think Utah drivers are the worst.
Jacob Hodgen, a junior, from Seattle, Wash., majoring in English, says the differences between driving in the second-ranked state of Washington and Utah are definitely noticeable. He attributes the poorer road skills in Utah to people being used to driving in country settings.
?People get into the city and they don?t know what to do,? Hodgen said. ?They see a roundabout, and it?s like another planet, and they don?t know what to do with it. In Seattle you have to go really far out of the way to not have to deal with that stuff all the time.?
Hodgen also says a major problem is people not knowing how to drive fast in the fast lane.
?They always drive slow in the fast lane, and it drives me crazy,? he said.
Stephanie Hopkins, a senior, from Casper, Wyo., majoring in English education, said driving in Utah is drastically different from driving in Wyoming, which came in at No. 5 in the study.
?People drive faster here,? Hopkins said. ?They assume people will move for them. They assume that people will be courteous for them so they don?t have to be.?
Utah drivers also have a reputation for bad-mannered road behavior.
?I would say that when I?m driving around, if someone has a Utah license plate compared to a somewhere else license plate, I would be more willing to say that the Utah license plate will make a rude signal or they won?t signal,? Hopkins said. ?You know, those kinds of things over someone else from somewhere else.?
Even though he hails from the 44th ranked state, New York, Peter Harris, a sophomore, majoring in business, also agrees driving in Utah is ?definitely different.?
?I?ve noticed that Utah drivers don?t do certain things or do other things that people in New York don?t do,? Harris said. ?For example, when you can take a left at the arrow, a lot of people in Utah won?t pull up in the middle of the intersection. They wait. It?s little things like that.?
Despite the fact that there are many drivers in Utah originally from different states, many remain convinced that Utah drivers are much worse than their 33 ranking.
?I guess maybe it could be just a lot of people from everywhere,? Harris said. ?But it always seems to be a Utah license plate, so I can only assume.?