Texas has 17 million drivers on its roads. Sadly, several million of them who once passed a driving test wouldn’t be able to pass one today.

At least, that’s the finding of a recent GMAC Insurance study, which showed that almost 20 per cent of drivers nationwide — or about 38 million — would fail a driving test. In Texas that translates to about 3.4 million drivers who’d fail a driving test.

The survey also showed that Texas ranks 35th among the 50 states in driving test abilities. GMAC said Texans got 76 per cent of its driving test questions correctly, a bit below the national average of 76.2 per cent.

The national average dipped a bit from the previous year, when Americans surveyed got 76.6 per cent of questions correctly. “It’s discouraging to see that overall average test scores are lower than last year,” said Wade Bontrager, senior vice president for GMAC Insurance. But in Texas, teen driving deaths dropped, apparently due to a graduated drivers licensing program.

The survey pitched 20 actual questions from state driving tests to 5,202 drivers. It’s the sixth year in a row GMAC has administered it.

Results also showed that older drivers had higher scores, as did male drivers.

Questions included what to do if a tire blows out and when to begin signaling before a turn. Respondents also indicated to what degree they indulge in distracted driving, such as eating, applying makeup, talking by cell phone, sending text messages or adjusting an iPod while driving. About 25 per cent of respondents admit to such distracted driving, which can be a major factor in thousands of traffic accidents.

Want to take the test and see how you stack up with other Texans and Americans as a whole? Visit the GMAC test site and give it a try. Even if you miss a few questions, chances are you’ll learn something in the process.

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