Find out which advice you’ve been given is either inaccurate or even potentially dangerous, and why!
Here are ten questions which we hope that American drivers and any people involved in any aspect of U.S. highway safety will participate in. We are looking to see how many have been given the safest advice and how common any inaccurate beliefs may be.
Please note that this quiz is intended ONLY for Americans and U.S. legal residents, so that we get accurate data about people’s beliefs, from the results. (Other people may answer but please tell us in your reply if you are from another country.)
THIS IS NOT AN INTERACTIVE PAGE… YOU CANNOT CLICK ON THE ANSWERS but please do persist…. It is still easy to do. Guidelines for how to submit your answers are at the bottom of this page, together with confirmation regarding privacy.
1. On a routine drive on a dry road, during urgent/hard braking, and without skidding, the minimum, overall stopping distance at 70mph is approximately:
- (a) 70 feet
- (b) 100-200 feet
- (c) 200-300 feet
- (d) 300-400 feet
2. By comparison with a dry road, it can take up to (how many) times farther to stop a car on an icy surface?
- (a) 2 times
- (b) 4 times
- (c) 6 times
- (d) 10 times
3. The most crucial factor in a driver’s safety is that person’s:
- (a) Attitude
- (b) Concentration
- (c) Age
- (d) Gender (male, female, etc.)
4. What is the best position to hold a steering wheel for maximum safety in regular driving?
- (a) 10 & 2
- (b) 9 & 3
- (c) 8 & 4
- (d) 11 or 12, & 5
5. Except when a crisis like the 2008 recession or the 2020 corona virus affect things, approximately how many people are killed in road crashes each year in the USA?
- (a) 5,000 to 8,000
- (b) 15,000 to 20,000
- (c) 25,000 to 30,000
- (d) 35,000 to 40,000
6. If you are driving (with no other driver in the vehicle) on a 500-mile trip, how often should you stop for a break in order to help prevent drowsy driving?
- (a) Once an hour
- (b) Every two hours
- (c) Every three hours
- (d) Every four hours
7. Roughly what percentage of crashes involve driver error as ONE of the factors causing them?
8. If you drive as fast as you were going a few seconds earlier — say you do 50mph instead of 25mph (within the speed limits) — what effect does this have on how far it will take you to stop? It will take you:
- (a) Four times as far
- (b) Three times as far
- (c) Two times as far
- (d) The same distance
9. Where do you find the correct pressures for the tires on your own car? (There is one other place missing but don’t worry about that one.)
- (a) On a sticker on the car
- (b) On the sidewall of the tire
- (c) On a chart at the tire shop
- (d) Online
10. If your car has ‘Daytime Running Lights’ [DRL] or some types of automatic headlights, then the back lights of your car will be:
- (a) Off, even when the DRL front lights are on
- (b) On, whenever the DRL front lights are on
- (c) On all the time, even if your front lights are off
- (d) ‘a’ or ‘b’, above, depending on the make of car
‘How to’ Notes, and Privacy
Nobody’s name, score, or details will be published; we merely wish to find out how many correct answers (measured against research, best practices and high-level expert opinion) are correct.
All questions assume that you are driving a well-maintained sedan with good tires.
Kindly give your answers, either in a comment at the foot of this webpage or in an e-mail, in ONE SINGLE REPLY please, otherwise it may become impossible to accurately monitor an overall result.
Answers to multiple choice questions should be in the format shown here, please (these are just examples, not connected to the questions shown!):
Any answers that require a written number or words should be in this example format:
Answers may be sent by a comment on the quiz webpage, or be submitted by e-mail to info (insert the @ sign) roadsafetyusa.org
You can either use your own name (which will never be released to anyone else) or, if you prefer, a nickname. We will reply to you with your score but the questions will subsequently be answered in future posts at this site, and you will be notified by e-mail when answers are about to be given.