Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, SportsAdam: How well do you know the rules of the road? One in four will fail this test

By DAVID ADAM Herald-Whig Staff Writer

If you had to take a written drivers test today, would you pass?

Figures provided by the GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test show that one in four drivers in Illinois -- and nearly 37 million drivers nationwide -- would not.

The test also showed men are better drivers than women, the Midwest is the best driving region and older drivers had the best test scores.

If you miss six or more of the following questions, please turn in your keys, use scissors to cut your license in half.

1. A pedestrian is crossing your lane but there is no crosswalk. You should:

A. Make sure the pedestrian sees you, but continue driving

B. Stop and let the pedestrian cross the street

C. Carefully drive around the pedestrian

2. When driving in adverse conditions, the proper speed to travel is:

A. The posted speed limit

B. 55 mph

C. 65 mph

D. Only as fast as is safe to drive

3. A traffic light with a flashing red signal means?

A. Yield B. Stop C. Caution

4. You see a flashing yellow traffic signal at an up coming intersection. The flashing yellow light means:

A. Stop before entering the intersection as long as you can do so safely

B. Stop. Yield to all cross traffic before crossing the intersection

C. Slow down and cross the intersection carefully

5. A solid yellow line, on your side of the center line, means:

A. Reduce speed

B. Traffic light ahead

C. Do not pass

6. When approaching a stopped school bus with flashing red lights, you should:

A. Stop when approaching a bus from either the front or the rear

B. Slow when approaching a bus from the front or rear

C. Stop only when approaching a bus from the front

D. Stop only when approaching a bus from the rear

7. If, while driving, a tire suddenly blows out, you should:

A. Grip the steering wheel firmly, slow down, and exit from the traffic lanes

B. Pump the brakes rapidly

C. Brake hard and steer toward the right edge of the roadway

8. You may pass on the right of another vehicle when:

A. When traveling on a multi-lane highway carrying two or more lanes of traffic in the same direction

B. The other vehicle is making or about to make a left turn, when a lane is provided to pass on the right

C. Both answers are correct

9. When making right or left turns, a driver should signal how many feet before the turn?

A. 100 feet B. 50 feet

C. 35 feet D. 5 feet

10. A diamond shaped sign means:

A. Yield B. Stop C. Warning

11. You drive defensively when you:

A. Always put one car length between you and the car ahead

B. Look only at the car in front of you while driving

C. Keep your eyes moving to look for possible hazards

12. When you tailgate (drive close to their rear bumper), other drivers:

A. You can frustrate the other drivers and make them angry

B. Your actions cannot result in a traffic citation

C. You help reduce traffic congestion

13. You may drive off of the paved roadway to pass another vehicle:

A. If the shoulder is wide enough to accommodate your vehicle

B. If the vehicle ahead of you is turning left

C. Under no circumstances

14. When merging onto the freeway, you should be driving:

A. At or near the same speed as the traffic on the freeway

B. 5 to 10 miles per hour slower than the traffic on the freeway

C. The posted speed limit for traffic on the freeway

15. When driving in fog, use your:

A. Fog lights only

B. High beams

C. Low beams

16. Under most conditions, what is a safe following distance?

A. 3 seconds

B. 10 seconds

C. 20 seconds

17. An emergency vehicle is coming from behind with emergency lights on and flashing. You should:

A. Slow down and keep moving

B. Speed up and get out of the way

C. Maintain your speed

D. Pull over to the right and stop

18. When approaching a traffic signal displaying a steady yellow light, you must:

A. Go through the intersection before it turns red

B. Stop if it is safe to do so

C. Be prepared to stop

D. Slow down and proceed with caution

19. In bad weather, make your car easier for others to see by:

A. Turning on your headlights

B. Turning on your emergency flashers

C. Turning on your parking lights

D. Flashing your high beams

20. The best way to keep from hydroplaning is to:

A. Turn to avoid puddles

B. Apply the brakes firmly

C. Slow down when on wet roads

The answers: 1-B, 2-D, 3-B, 4-C, 5-C, 6-A, 7-A, 8-C, 9-A, 10-C, 11-C, 12-A, 13-C, 14-A, 15-C, 16-A, 17-D, 18-B, 19-A, 20-C.

-- dadam@whig.com/221-3376