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2A ♦ WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2006 Georgia ranks 30th among national drivers Special to the HHJ ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Results from the second annual GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test announced recently rank Georgia driv ers 30th in the nation for their driving knowledge. Overall, the study suggests that licensed Americans lack basic driving knowledge and exhibit alarming behaviors on the road. In fact, one in 11 drivers nearly 18 mil lion people would fail a state drivers test. Georgia drivers had an overall average score of 83.2 percent; 13 percent of Georgia respondents failed the test. In 2005, the state ranked 29th in the country. The results come one year after GMAC Insurance first set out to gauge the knowl edge of the American driving public, when licensed drivers were administered 20 ques tions found on a typical DMV written drivers test. The 2006 findings indi cate drivers still do not have adequate knowledge of basic rules of the road, and they exhibit bad habits behind the wheel. Furthermore, the study shows drivers deliberately disregard pedestrians and treat driving as the new “down time,” where they catch up on the day’s activi ties, diverting their attention from the road. For the second year in a row, Oregon drivers Tractor, trailer wreck mmjk.i HHJ Ray Lightner Police have worked tractor-trailer wrecks on 1-75 before. But this tractor and trailer incident Tuesday morning was a new one for Perry Police and the Georgia State Patrol. The driver towing his tractor on his trailer apparently lost control of the trailer and dumped the tractor and the trailer off the road just north of Thompson Road. The driver and the tractor were OK, but the trailer was ruined. No cita tions were issued. For the love of kids * . spU I 9 # submitted Mayor Jim Worrall presents Joyce Handy of the Houston County Department of Family and Children Services, with a proclamation of appreciation for foster care appreciation. May was Foster Care Month in Georgia. The proclamation recognized the services of foster parents and professionals in the field, and the importance of providing safe, secure and stable homes for the 15,000 children and teens currently in state care. OPEN FOR PLAY! Memberships Available wn® r2 ”* r * Houston Springs Golf Club Top drivers? According to the 2006 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test here are the top and bottom five states of knowledgable drivers: Best Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Idaho, South Dakota Worst New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Rhode Island ranked highest on the test, with an average score of 91 percent, and Rhode Island ranked lowest, with an aver age score of 75 percent. The drivers test adminis tered in the study is avail able to the public online at www.gmacinsurance.com, as well as additional resources such as tips to stay safe on the road and the most com mon accident causes. Pedestrians beware drivers disregard those on foot ■ Results suggest many Americans exhibit shocking driving behaviors that not only endanger themselves, but jeopardize others both on and off the road. Roughly one in three drivers usually do not stop for pedestrians even if they’re in a cross walk or at a yellow light. ■ According to the Latest equipment Titleist, Hogan, Brida t n S-i o Gfill mi/Pulm wf rr # { Public £ yWelcome!^ Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, pedestrians constitute the second larg est category of motor vehicle crash deaths after vehicle occupants, accounting for 11 percent of fatalities. ■ Forty-three percent of all pedestrian iryuries and 22 percent of fatal iryuries to pedestrians occur in col lisions with motor vehicles at intersections. In addition, many pedestrians are killed on sidewalks, median strips and traffic islands. Driving don’ts: where Americans are lacking ■ Overall, drivers in the Northeast region are most apt to fail, with state failure rates of 16 percent or more. ■ Drivers in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest regions are the most knowl edgeable, with state failure ■ on ALLOVEFC the network with the fewest dropped calls IBP#|j| C't o«d "'l 1H« C«r»n<Jp*r#nt* I H lii * m {.• ? Mom ft| I ■HI BUY ONE FOR $999 AND GET ONE FREE after 550 mail-in rebate card and Push to Taft feature package purchase" *<tb 7 year service agreement per pnotie SAMSUNG d 357 CALL 1-866 CINGULAR - CLICK WWW.CINGULAR COM - C'MON IN TO A STORE For business sales, call t -866497-7860 gabusinesssolutionsttcingu lar.com laCrange 1 SOI Lafayette Pkwv. (LaCrange Mall), 706-885-1074 Perry 1365 Sam Nunn Blvd., Ste. 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LOCAL rates ranging from 1 percent to 7 percent. ■ Drivers under 35 years old are most likely to fail a written driving test (18-24 year olds have the lowest average test scores); experi enced drivers ages 35-60+, are most likely to pass a written driving test. Pedestrian Protocol: ■ Roughly one in three drivers don’t usually stop for pedestrians - even if they’re in a crosswalk or at a yellow light. ■ At least one out of five drivers do not know that a pedestrian has the right of way at a marked or unmarked crosswalk. • Driving is the New “Down Time” ■ American drivers engage in a variety of distracting / j l 4 Mo<*~ ? 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'I■ < •••, : .■ ? liH Warner Robins Adel faging 1300 Watson Blvd. 478-328-1794 Telepage Communications 2078 Russell Pkwy. 478-922-6272 THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL At least one in five drivers do not know: ■ When to properly use their high-beam headlights or what to do when bright headlights come at them at night. ■ That highways are the most slippery just when it starts to rain after a dry spell. In fact, this is the ques tion most often answered incorrectly for the second year in a row. Fortunately, 97 percent of those tested know what to do when they hydroplane. The test was administered by Market Tools, a lead ing global online market research company. A bal anced sample of 5,288 total licensed respondents, aged 16-60+, were given a 20- question test representative of a DMV written drivers test typically used to award a driver’s permit or license. 6pm location Wal-Mart Warner Robins 2720 Watson Blvd. 478-971-7090 Also Available At ® RadtoShmdt.