Every year, GMAC Insurance offer up a National Drivers Test available for all, regardless of age or state, in order to get a better insight on how motorists are driving around the country. This test usually yields interesting results, such as which is the state with the most capable drivers, or which age group is best at driving performance on the road.

According to the test, these are the top 10 states when it comes to knowledgeable drivers:

1. Kansas
2. Iowa
3. Colorado
4. Minnesota
5. Oregon
6. Nebraska
7. Indiana
8. Missouri
9. South Dakota
10. Wyoming

They have also found that:

• 1 in 4 women failed the test (27.2 percent versus 13.6 percent for male).
• The Northeast is the worst driving region, while the Midwest is the best, based on test scores.
• The elderly succeed. Out of all the test takers, those that belong in the oldest group, aged 60-65 have the highest scores.
• New York and Washington: 1 out of 3 of all drivers in both states failed the test. Be careful on these roads. While New York did move a couple of notches from the bottom of the test results last year, it’s still valid to point out that a majority of NY drivers are getting something wrong on the test.

Do you think this data accurately represents reality? Now in its 7th year, the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test point out that drivers have improved all over the nation in the last year, but it still tells a sad reality that a large number of people still lack basic driving knowledge. 85 percent were unable to point out the proper course of action when faced with a yellow light, while only a quarter of all test takers were aware of safe following distances.

There’s a lot to be said about the validity and accuracy of tests like these, but there’s more to be said about the results that we’re getting. Law enforcement and driving advocacy groups should see options such as driver’s education in schools and other such initiatives to make sure that year after year, points only go up — along with that, the percentage of safety on the road.