According to records from the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, only 46 percent of 181,196 potential drivers passed the basic road test last year. That rate has been dropping steadily since 2005, when 52 percent passed the test, and that's still nothing to be proud of. Driving experts blame the drop in schools being forced to eliminate driver's education classes due to a shortage of funds. In addition, teens are taking less time to practice prior to taking the test.
Despite being forced to secure a lerner's permit and complete five hours of drivers ed offered by driving schools, as well as younger drivers being forced to perform 50 hours of supervised practice, failure rates are still high. Alex Minevich, manager of the Left Turn Driving School in Brooklyn, said that teens are being instructed by family members who "can barely drive" themselves. The blind are leading the blind.
How many drivers who have had licenses for years do you think would fail the test if they had to take it again?
[via New York Daily News]
