The average score did increase this year to 77.9 percent, up from 76.2 percent in 2010. But that’s still very low and shows that many people on the road don’t have basic knowledge of the rules. Amazingly, 85 percent of those surveyed could not identify the correct action to take when approaching a steady yellow traffic light. Only about a fourth could identify correct following distances.

The goal of the test is to remind drivers to stay informed about the rules of the road. It marked the seventh annual survey, polling drivers from 16-65 in all states and the District of Columbia. Here are some of the interesting highlights uncovered by the test:

• Males are better drivers? One in 4 women failed the test, which was about double the percentage of men. Overall, males out-performed females with an average score of 80.2 percent versus 74.1 percent for females.
• Northeast is worst driving region. You may think your city’s drivers are the worst, but with average scoring at 74.9 percent the Northeast came out the worst. Midwest is the best driving region with average scoring at 77.5 percent.
• The older the wiser. Despite popular belief, the oldest drivers tested, ages 60-65, continued to have the highest average test scores at 80.3 percent.
• Be careful in the Empire State and Beltway. One out of 3 (34 percent) of all drivers in New York and Washington, D.C. failed the test. Wyoming residents passed the test most with only one out of 20 failing.
• Biggest gains and losses: There were some shake ups in the test this year. After ranking 24th place in 2010, Colorado moves to third place with an 82 percent average score. Alaska plummeted 30 spots from tenth place in 2010 to 40th place this year. Their average test score decreased from a 79.8 percent average to a 76 percent average.

One In Five Drivers Would Fail Written Test Today is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance

Conducting the survey on a voluntary basis was the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, which collected information among patients who had private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. Their research showed an alarming figure: over 36% of the 948 that were surveyed were underinsured.

The researchers conducting this survey have defined the term “underinsured” to mean patients that delayed or skipped the care recommended to them on account of the fact that they couldn’t afford it.

The school further released information on the research, stating that those who completed the survey were generally between the ages of 18 and 64, Caucasian, and had private insurance. Over health of those surveyed claimed to be in good, excellent, or perfect health.

over a thousand surveys were handed out to obtain this information, and 1,133 were returned to the researchers. Offered in both English and Spanish, the survey aimed to reach out to the largest number of people while remaining accessible and easy to understand.

The estimate of underinsured patients in Colorado comes as a stark contrast to the values established over a decade ago, such as a study that showed 4.5% as being underinsured in 1995. However, these earlier studies directly assessed hard financial criteria instead of simply asking whether patients believed that they could afford their case.

With that said, the survey is more of a confidence poll and a measure of financial self-assessment rather than a statistical evaluation of objective facts. Nonetheless, this sort of research can prove useful in determining new ways in which people can obtain the proper health care that they need in order to feel confident in going to the hospital.

Recent additions:

• Health Insurance Outpaces Inflation
• New Jersey Insurer Starts Safety Plan
• Georgia Motorists Get A Break
• Low Profile Car Can Save On Insurance
• Hybrid Vehicles a Good Purchase For Low Insurance?

Almost Half A Million Could Be Uninsured In Colorado is a post from: Peppercoin Insurance