A survey commissioned by General Motors Acceptance Corp. ranks Maryland motorists near the bottom when it comes to the knowledge of driving laws.

In the Atlanta-based financial giant’s fourth annual National Drivers Test, Kansas placed first at 84 percent for most knowledgeable drivers, Maryland ranks No. 42 — and New Jersey is No. 51.

The survey, which was released Thursday by the company’s casualty insurance division, also revealed that nationwide, roughly 33 million motorists would fail their driver’s tests if they had to retake them. Marylanders taking a written driver’s test now would have an average 76.8 percent score, followed by New Jersey at 69.9 percent, the survey said.

Although Maryland placed 25th last year, from 2004 to 2006 the state ranked between 42nd and 46th.

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“It’s encouraging to see that scores are beginning to get better, but there is still a lot of room for improvement,” Wade Bontrager, GMAC vice president for marketing, told The Examiner. “But we’re seeing day to day that people don’t know the rules of the road.”

Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley said one in six drivers in the state wouldn’t be able to pass if they had to retake their driver’s test.

“We are aware of the GMAC survey, and it’s an issue we were already working on with the recent launch of the Choose Safety for Life campaign,” Shipley said Friday. “There is a need to provide continuous education and enforcement for Maryland drivers, and we will announce later this year a driver education test that we will be encouraging people to take.”

Though GMAC’s survey reveals that about 98 percent of respondents know the meaning of a solid yellow line or what to do when an emergency vehicle with flashing lights approaches, Shipley said many drivers need to review the basic fundamentals of driving — particularly those, he said, who have been driving for as long 15 to 50 years without refresher courses or workshops.

“It’s imperative that drivers adhere to the rules while driving and use both defensive and offensive measures, as it all works to help reduce traffic fatalities on our roads,” Maryland State Highway Administration spokeswoman Kelli Boulware said Friday.

She added that drivers also need to be cognizant of the rights of pedestrians and cyclists as well, and encourages motorists to visit ChooseSafetyForLife.com to acquaint themselves with driver improvement programs and catch up on rules of the road.

drowley@baltimoreexaminer.com