The rules of the road are meant to reduce uncertainty and risk. All you have to do is meet another car at a four-way stop to know that most of us leave a lot of that knowledge behind at the DMV.
Foster City, Calif. (PRWEB) April 01, 2013
Most drivers don’t know when to stop for pedestrians and schoolchildren, results of a new quiz from CarInsurance.com show.
The average score was 75 percent. Forty-four percent of the 500 drivers who answered 20 questions that are typically on a driver’s license test scored less than 80 percent, the passing grade in most states.
“The rules of the road are meant to reduce uncertainty and risk,” said CarInsurance.com managing editor Des Toups. “All you have to do is meet another car at a four-way stop to know that most of us leave a lot of that knowledge behind at the DMV.”
The most missed questions -- all of which were pulled from state department of motor vehicles practice tests -- involved pedestrians and school buses.
Fifty-eight percent missed this question:
Give the right of way to any pedestrian who is:
1. In a marked crosswalk.
2. In any crosswalk or intersection.
3. Crossing any street.
(The correct answer is No. 3.)
Sixty-eight percent missed this question:
You are approaching a school bus that has stopped on the other side of a divided highway.
1. Stop and wait for it to load or unload children.
2. Stop, check for children, then proceed.
3. Stop and wait until the flashing red lights go off.
4. Watch for children and be ready to stop.
(The correct answer is No. 4.)
On the flip side, 93 percent of drivers got this question correct:
When should you use a horn?
1. For warning purposes, such as to alert other drivers to an impending collision.
2. To alert other drivers that they are doing something wrong.
3. Whenever you feel like it.
4. If a driver or bicyclist is going too slow.
(The correct answer is No. 1.)
“We may have great horn skills,” Toups noted, “but we’ve got some work to do otherwise. Not knowing the rules means you spend your time behind the wheel offended or unsure, and neither of those is very safe or productive.”
Women scored somewhat higher than men did, averaging 78 percent compared with 71 percent. Older drivers performed much better than younger drivers did, with those under age 40 scoring an average 67 percent compared with 79 percent for drivers over 40.
Three drivers out of 500 scored 100 percent: a woman, age 30, a woman, age 51, and a man, age 64.
Take the 20-question CarInsurance.com driver’s license test at http://www.carinsurance.com/drivers-test.aspx.
The full article about results can be read at http://www.carinsurance.com/Articles/drivers-license-report-card.aspx.
CarInsurance.com commissioned a survey of 500 licensed drivers age 18 and over. Participants were asked 20 multiple-choice questions. The survey was fielded in January 2013.
CarInsurance.com has been offering drivers expert advice about car insurance and how to shop for it since 2003. Using a combination of industry expertise and information drawn from thousands of online quotes delivered without obligation each month, CarInsurance.com is a source for unbiased answers and data about what consumers should expect from an insurance policy. The site lets consumers compare multiple car insurance quotes online and purchase a policy online in minutes. CarInsurance.com is owned and operated by QuinStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ: QNST), one of the largest Internet marketing and media companies in the world. QuinStreet is committed to providing consumers and businesses with the information they need to research, find and select the products, services and brands that best meet their needs. The company is a leader in visitor-friendly marketing practices. For more information, please visit QuinStreet.com.
dtoups (at) carinsurance.com