K'Tesh

Americans don't know rules of the road

ItsJustMe

And even if you identified them, there'd be nothing anyone could do about it under the law unless they killed someone.

kjmillig

OK, now do the same survey in Canada or the UKand I'll bet you get nearly the same results. Or better yet, try China, India, or any munber of other countries. People get into habits and forget the specifics of the law.
Why do I doubt they actually surveyed 38 million people?

billdsd

Then try doing the survey in Germany or Finland or Denmark.

Wake

That doesn't seem to matter, either.

illdoittomorrow

Pffft, we got you beat...

https://www.globaltvcalgary.com/Study...087/story.html

gbiker

Good to know, for next time I'm road biking!

Seriously?? Based on my observations, 85% FLOOR IT!

ItsJustMe

Well, once they kill someone, at least there's a cursory review and maybe a slight slap on the wrist before they're let on the street again. After 4 or 5 deaths at the hands of the same person, they may even suspend a license for a few months.

mikeybikes

It is obvious how ignorant a lot of motorists are. Especially when I watch them come to complete stops when traffic lights flash yellow.

Of course, I'm perfect and the best driver.

DarthMuffin

I'd be all for having to take the test again every 10 years or so and "renew" your license. In addition to testing basic skills they could cover laws that may have changed -- like "keep right except to pass" or cell phone laws. I can't think of any other profession, certification, or license that does not require recertification periodically.

noisebeam

Have you taken the test? It is not as easy/obvious as one may think. I would bet most here will miss a question or two.

mikeybikes

I got 100%

noisebeam

I made two mistakes. Both are excusable - one mistake would have never occurred in real world situation, the other is not a law, but a guideline and I picked the more conservative safer option even though I am familiar with the right answer, but I won't discuss further right now so as not to affect others.

Monster Pete

I think that wherever you go, a lot of people would probably fail an on the spot driving test. For example, I don't know anyone that still uses the 'push-pull' method of steering, keeps both hands on the wheel or checks all their mirrors before slowing down. That doesn't necessarily make them bad or dangerous drivers, they just have a different technique that that which is taught. There are a lot of incompetent drivers out there though, who know how to operate a vehicle but not how to drive. Several times I've had people on the motorway simply try to move into my lane without looking despite there being no space. Usually they're either fiddling with a sat-nav or are the stereotypical old guy that only normally drives to the shop on a sunday.

sudo bike

I can't wait to tell my wife that I have proof women are worse drivers!

DeadheadSF

The only solution is more aggressive licensing requirements. Having been through airplane pilot training (never got my pilot license due to cost), I would like to see drivers have to pass a similarly aggressive set of tests initially, then take a basic Road Rules written test every time their license comes up for renewal. A mandatory driving test plus written test every 10 years in addition.

Just simply increasing the requirements to get a drivers license would help. It's just too damn easy as it is now.

Do high schools still give actual driver education courses? I was told that they are the "bare minimum" these days - just enough to get on the road legally...?

EDIT: It's disappointing (though not surprising) that the article did not link to the study. I'd like to see how it was done and I'd like to see a breakdown by geographic region. Living in the San Francisco area, bad drivers probably vastly outnumber the good ones. And nobody here understands "safe following distance".

I actually have one of the window washer spray jets on my car pointed slightly higher than the others so that when I trigger the window washer, it sprays up and over my car and onto any car that's too close behind. If someone's following me too closely, it's my default method of telling them to back off... Failing that, I back off the gas and gradually slow down until they pass... (I hate tailgaters with a passion).

mikeybikes

When I took one ten years ago, it was actually pretty comprehensive, including 12 hours in a car with an instructor.

I'm curious what they do nowadays.

ItsJustMe

What my daughter went through a few years ago was more comprehensive than what I did back in the late 70s. About the same classroom time, about the same on-the-road time with an instructor, but much more time required behind the wheel with a parent before a license was granted, and in my day there weren't limited licenses; you either had a license or you didn't.

Paul Barnard

I made a 90 on the test. This question does not have a correct answer.

When making right or left turns, a driver should signal _______ before the turn?


100 feet

50 feet

35 feet

5 feet

noisebeam

100ft is standard for most US state laws (Uniform Vehicle Code)
example: https://www.azleg.state.az.us/ars/28/00754.htm

Paul Barnard

The proper answer is "at least 100 feet and always before applying the brakes."

sggoodri

Me too, but some of the questions do require some thinking in order to interpret the wording exactly as they intended and to select the best answer. I drive more conservatively than is absolutely essential for safety or compliance with the law, so I came close to making at least one of the errors that Al did.

noisebeam

My first error was reading 'diamond', but selecting yield. There is no question in my mind that if in a real world situation I saw a yield sign (or even just a triangle) I would know what it means and also if I see a diamond shaped sign that it contains a warning. That was just poor mental processing on my part, being quick to answer.

The second error was selecting 10sec for following distance. I am familiar with the 3sec rule (been known to tell relatives when being a 'back seat driver'), but may have been thinking 'safe in all conditions' and picked the more conservative answer. In practice I lean toward 3sec following unless it is raining or other conditions that warrant a greater following distance. 3sec is the minimum for me, not typical.

I also think that the one question about solid yellow light that is being touted in the news story as having a poor score can be easily answered wrong without careful reading of the question and all options. I got it right, but I had to be more careful than I was on the other questions.

So I think that scores below 100 but above 70 are as much due to being a quick on line questionnaire vs. a real test or any indication of a drivers 'goodness' or 'badness'. I know I banged it out very quickly in an offhand way.

noisebeam

While that is good practice, it does not exclude '100ft' as the correct answer.

sudo bike

For cereal. In a lot of ways, I think pilot licensing is a good model. Not every way, but a lot of ways.