WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Would you pass your driving test if you had to take it again tomorrow? Anna Borissow said she thinks she would pass.
Michelle Boren said she feels differently about the two parts of the test.
"If it were the driving test, absolutely. If I were to take the written, I don't think so. I think I'd probably score about a 55 to 60%," Boren said.
A new survey of 1,000 adults by Zutobi, an online driver's ed platform, found just over half of licensed drivers are very confident they could pass a driving test today without preparation. Twelve percent believe they would probably or definitely fail.
WATCH: Would you pass your driving test if you had to take it again tomorrow?
The survey found confidence may depend on who taught you how to drive. Drivers taught by a calm and patient parent are nearly 5 times less likely to think they would fail.
The survey also uncovered a confidence gap between men and women. Nearly 15 percent of women believe they would fail, compared to about 9 percent of men. However, road safety data shows lower confidence does not necessarily mean poorer driving.
Among U.S. drivers aged 18–54, only 46.5% of 18–24-year-olds are very confident they would pass today, and 14% of that age group think they would probably or definitely fail.
Confidence rises to 60.1% among drivers aged 35–44, making them the most confident group in the survey.
Among women aged 18–24, just 43.8% feel very confident they would pass, compared with 51.2% of men the same age.
It creates an interesting paradox: the drivers with the freshest memory of the test are the ones who doubt themselves most.
One local father and son offered a relatable perspective on staying sharp behind the wheel.
"I'm driving along now with my parents as well, so I mean, I'm practicing, so we'll see," Senne Baetens/Bart Baetens said. "I had to retake them partially just to teach the boy here to drive."
Frank Cantor of Cantor's Driving School said experienced drivers often develop bad habits over time.
"I think it's partially true because a lot of the drivers that have been driving for a long time, they forget to use turn signals. They're not keeping their hands at the proper position. They're not looking over their shoulder," Cantor said.
For many drivers, it may not be about whether they can pass — but whether they've kept up with the rules of the road.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
