BOSTON -- It might not come as a big surprise to Massachusetts motorists, but a new survey done by a national auto insurance company ranks Bay State drivers among the worst in the country when it comes to their knowledge of the basic rules of the road.

The unscientific online survey by GMAC Insurance ranked Massachusetts drivers No. 48 on its 2008 survey list. The only places that have poorer drivers are New York, the District of Columbia and New Jersey, whose drivers came in dead last.

The survey is based on an online test that quizzes drivers on 20 commonly-asked drivers license questions, including, "A traffic light with a flashing red signal means?" and "A solid yellow line, on your side of the center line, means ...?"

Test-takers are then given a grade based on the percentage of correct responses. Massachusetts drivers, on average, got only about 75 percent of the questions right, meaning they've held the No. 48 ranking for the last three years.

The state with the most knowledgeable drivers in 2008 was Kansas, where most test takers answered 84 percent of the questions correctly, followed by Wyoming at No. 2 and Nebraska at No. 3.

GMAC said the top driving mistake that causes car crashes is multitasking. Following too closely behind another driver is the second-biggest cause of crashes and failure to yield on a left-hand turn is No. 3.