Updated from Amplitude: May 28, 2026, 1:30 AM GMT+0000

America's Road Rules Confusion Index

A monthly public data report showing where permit-test confusion clusters by state, topic, and rule category.

What the Confusion Score means

The score is a 0-100 index based on a jurisdiction's highest miss-rate rule category and its next two weakest categories. Higher scores mean learner mistakes are clustering around the same road-rule topics.

Ready-made national lede

Stop & Yield Signs is the most commonly missed road-rule category among U.S. learner drivers this month, according to Driving-Tests.org's America's Road Rules Confusion Index. The index analyzes aggregate practice-answer data across state-specific permit-test prep activity.

Find your state

Key findings this month

Five publishable facts from the latest refresh

These are written as attribution-ready notes so a reporter can copy a finding, localize it, and cite the index without reverse-engineering the dashboard.

Important editorial note

The Confusion Score measures learner permit-test knowledge gaps, not crash risk, road skill, or whether a state has bad drivers.

National top category

Stop & Yield Signs is America's most missed road-rule category, with a 37.5% wrong-answer rate across measured jurisdictions.

Highest score

Florida currently has the highest Confusion Score at 49.7/100.

Local angle

Texas ranks #17 nationally; its top confusion area is Laws & Penalties.

What the mistakes mean

The leading categories point to applied rule interpretation, including stop & yield signs, laws & penalties, and adverse conditions.

Editor note

The Confusion Score measures learner permit-test knowledge gaps, not crash risk, road skill, or whether a state has bad drivers.

Top missed-category rate 37.5%

Stop & Yield Signs leads the national topic ranking: 37.5% of answers in that topic were wrong across measured jurisdictions.

Jurisdictions measured 50 + DC

All 50 states and the District of Columbia are eligible; only jurisdictions with enough aggregate answer data are included.

Questions answered 17.1M

Aggregate practice answers in the last 30 days across state-level data.

National snapshot

What learners are getting wrong this month

Each row is a national story, a local sidebar, or a quick assignment for a state reporter.

Topic miss rates

Stop & Yield Signs
37.5%
Laws & Penalties
37.4%
Adverse Conditions
33.9%
Impaired & Distracted Driving
33.5%
Intersections
33.4%

Highest state scores

Florida
49.7
Ohio
49.2
Tennessee
48.1
Connecticut
46.8
Wisconsin
43.4
#1
Stop & Yield Signs Measured across 4 states with enough topic data
37.5% peak 47.6%
#2
Laws & Penalties Measured across 34 states with enough topic data
37.4% peak 52.8%
#3
Adverse Conditions Measured across 16 states with enough topic data
33.9% peak 41%
#4
Impaired & Distracted Driving Measured across 8 states with enough topic data
33.5% peak 42.4%
#5
Intersections Measured across 6 states with enough topic data
33.4% peak 34.8%
#6
Parking Measured across 23 states with enough topic data
32.6% peak 38.6%
#7
Lane Changes & Passing Measured across 24 states with enough topic data
32.1% peak 41.8%
#8
Sharing the Road Measured across 14 states with enough topic data
32% peak 37.9%

Linkable rankings

Lists that turn the dataset into story angles

Short ranked lists are easier for local newsrooms to cite, chart, and compare than a full dashboard.

Top 10 highest Confusion Scores

Use this when the story is where learner mistakes cluster most strongly.

  1. Florida: 49.7/100, Laws & Penalties
  2. Ohio: 49.2/100, Laws & Penalties
  3. Tennessee: 48.1/100, Laws & Penalties
  4. Connecticut: 46.8/100, Stop & Yield Signs
  5. Wisconsin: 43.4/100, Laws & Penalties
  6. North Dakota: 43.0/100, Laws & Penalties
  7. Vermont: 42.0/100, Yielding to Others
  8. Montana: 41.3/100, Laws & Penalties
  9. District of Columbia: 41.0/100, Lane Changes & Passing
  10. Georgia: 40.4/100, Traffic Signals
10 lowest Confusion Scores

Careful framing: these are lower learner knowledge-gap scores, not better drivers.

  1. California: 27.0/100, Yielding to Others
  2. New Jersey: 30.2/100, Sharing the Road
  3. Kansas: 32.1/100, Pavement Markings
  4. Maryland: 32.5/100, Impaired & Distracted Driving
  5. Indiana: 32.8/100, Laws & Penalties
  6. Michigan: 32.9/100, Adverse Conditions
  7. Minnesota: 32.9/100, Turning & U-Turns
  8. Nevada: 33.2/100, Parking
  9. Maine: 33.7/100, Parking
  10. Washington: 33.7/100, Laws & Penalties
Most active learner states

Use this when the story needs the largest 30-day learner sample.

  1. California: 40,644 learners, Yielding to Others
  2. Ohio: 22,572 learners, Laws & Penalties
  3. North Carolina: 21,378 learners, Adverse Conditions
  4. New York: 20,500 learners, Adverse Conditions
  5. Illinois: 18,684 learners, Turning & U-Turns
  6. Massachusetts: 14,584 learners, Laws & Penalties
  7. Tennessee: 14,171 learners, Laws & Penalties
  8. Minnesota: 13,255 learners, Turning & U-Turns
  9. Indiana: 13,135 learners, Laws & Penalties
  10. Florida: 12,585 learners, Laws & Penalties

State-specific drilldown

Localize the story for any state

Choose a state to get a source-ready lede, chart-ready rows, top confusion categories, rank, sample size, and live activity.

Rank #1

Florida learners are most confused by Laws & Penalties.

49.7Confusion Score
52.7%wrong-answer rate, top topic
13Klearners last 30 days
26Ktests completed, 30 days
96studying now
3PMpeak study hour
Tuesdaypeak study day
657Kquestions answered, 30 days
Quick local hookFlorida learners missed laws & penalties most often, with a 52.7% wrong-answer rate in that topic.
Why readers careThis shows what learners misunderstand before the road test, not which state has better or worse drivers.
Source lineAggregated learner answer data from Driving-Tests.org, refreshed before page render.
So what?

Why laws and penalties matter

This is the gap between knowing a rule and knowing the consequence. It gives reporters a way to connect permit-test confusion to fines, points, suspensions, and enforcement moments readers already recognize.

Good local hooks include teen-driver restrictions, school-zone penalties, DUI/BAC consequences, and point systems that affect insurance or license status.

Category context
Fines and points penalties, point systems, and repeat-offense consequences
Suspensions and restrictions license holds, permit limits, and teen-driver rules
DUI/BAC and high-risk violations alcohol limits, implied consent, work zones, and school zones

Top local confusion points

  1. Laws & Penalties52.7%
  2. Sharing the Road37.9%
  3. Pavement Markings35.3%
  4. Lane Changes & Passing32.6%
  5. Emergency Vehicles30.1%
Laws & Penalties
52.7%
Sharing the Road
37.9%
Pavement Markings
35.3%
Lane Changes & Passing
32.6%
Emergency Vehicles
30.1%
Florida learner drivers were most likely to stumble on "Laws & Penalties", according to America's Road Rules Confusion Index from Driving-Tests.org. The state posted a Confusion Score of 49.7 out of 100 and ranked #1 nationally, with a 52.7% wrong-answer rate in its top missed category. The 30-day sample included 12,585 learners and 656,960 practice answers.

Compare states

Put a local result next to a neighbor or national leader

Many local stories need a comparison: state vs. state, state vs. neighbor, or state vs. the current national leaders.

Press kit

Reporter-ready exports and visuals

Use the CSV for newsroom charts, the state brief for copy, and the SVG card when a producer needs a quick visual.

All-state CSV

Copy every state row with rank, Confusion Score, top topic, wrong-answer rate, sample size, and study rhythm.

Rankingjurisdiction, rank, Confusion Score, top missed topic, top-topic wrong-answer rate
Scalelearners, questions answered, and completed tests in the last 30 days
Timingoptional live activity, peak study hour, and peak study day

State press card

A lightweight SVG card for the selected state. It can be pasted into a CMS, converted to an image, or sent to a producer.

Citation and attribution

Give editors the source line, link, and HTML attribution exactly as they should appear in a story.

Source line

Source: Driving-Tests.org America's Road Rules Confusion Index, updated May 28, 2026, 1:30 AM GMT+0000. Link: https://driving-tests.org/road-rules-confusion-index/

Canonical URL

https://driving-tests.org/road-rules-confusion-index/

HTML attribution

Source: <a href="https://driving-tests.org/road-rules-confusion-index/">Driving-Tests.org America's Road Rules Confusion Index</a>

AP-style source line

Source: Driving-Tests.org analysis of aggregate learner permit-test practice answers, updated May 28, 2026, 1:30 AM GMT+0000.

Story angles by beat

Make the data easy to assign

Different reporters need different entry points. These prompts turn the same dataset into local, education, and safety stories.

Local news

What learner drivers in your state miss most, how the state compares nationally, and what parents of teen drivers should review before permit season.

Education

Which rule categories are hardest before licensing, and where handbook comprehension may be weakest before learners move from study mode to the road.

Safety and transportation

Knowledge gaps around yielding, school buses, adverse conditions, emergency vehicles, penalties, and other rules that require judgment in traffic.

About the source

What is Driving-Tests.org?

Driving-Tests.org is a US driver education resource from Elegant E-Learning. The site helps learner drivers prepare for state-specific permit tests, CDL exams, motorcycle tests, road signs, and driver's handbooks. It also includes Challenge Bank™, DMV Genie™, Exam Simulator, state manuals, and DMV office resources.

Andrei Zakhareuski

Andrei Zakhareuski

Founder of Driving-Tests.org. Provides industry context on learner-driver preparation and state permit-test trends.

Steven D. Litvintchouk

Steven D. Litvintchouk

Editorial reviewer. Helps keep test explanations aligned with state source material and driver-education practice.

Media contact

For methodology questions, source clarification, or state-specific follow-up, email info@driving-tests.org.

Methodology

How the index is calculated

The index uses aggregate learner-answer outcomes and state-level activity data. No individual learner data is published.

Date range

2026-04-28/2026-05-28. The timestamp shown at the top of the page is converted to the visitor's local time in the browser.

Minimum sample threshold

A jurisdiction must have at least 1,000 eligible practice answers in the current 30-day window before it is ranked.

How learners are counted

Learner counts use aggregate state-level activity from permit-test practice sessions. No device IDs, profiles, or individual learner records are published.

How answers are counted

Answer counts are aggregate practice-answer outcomes grouped by state and road-rule category. Wrong-answer rates are calculated at the category level.

Why topic coverage varies

Not every state has enough eligible answer data in every topic category. National topic rankings only include jurisdictions that crossed the state sample threshold and reported that topic in the current refresh.

What the score does not measure

The score does not measure crash risk, road skill, licensed-driver behavior, enforcement quality, or whether a state has good or bad drivers.

  1. Practice answers are grouped into stable topic categories such as signs, pavement markings, right of way, school buses, DUI/BAC, teen restrictions, CDL exam family, motorcycle safety, and state-specific exceptions.
  2. For each state, the page ranks the topics with the highest aggregate miss rates after minimum sample thresholds are met.
  3. The Confusion Score is a 0-100 index. It combines the top missed topic with the average of the top three missed topics, so one oddball topic does not fully define a state.
  4. Live learner pulse and state activity metrics come from the site activity layer populated from Amplitude and refreshed outside this template.
  5. Exact proprietary answer text, individual learner records, device IDs, and user profiles are not included in the public dataset.
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