Autos

Put Your Driving Knowledge To The Test

SLIDESHOW: Do You Know How To Be A Safe Driver?

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Remember the anticipation of getting your drivers license?

There's the constant quizzing of knowing how to signal, get those headlights on, and the deal-killer for many: the dreaded parallel parking test.

Of course, getting that permit is the first step. And many don't always pass it on the first try.

"They try to trick you. I was really mad the first time I failed," said Jodi Agostini, a high school student from East Allegheny High School.

Barbara Broadwater visited the Penn Hills PennDOT facility as her grandson took his permit tests, but she says she probably wouldn't remember many of the questions.

"It's been a long time... many years," said Broadwater.

With every state offering a different test, there's no true yardstick to measure the ability of America's drivers state-by-state.

So by taking questions that apply to drivers from all 50 states, GMAC Insurance has come up with what it calls the "National Drivers' Test."

It's 20 questions long, and has been online for several months now.

Before we tell you who fared better, we decided to quiz some drivers right here in our hometown.

QUESTION: You may drive off 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) You should never drive off of the paved roadway.

The answer is C. Agostini aced the question. So did 21-year-old T.J. Laird of Squirrel Hill.

QUESTION: 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 it is safe to drive?

John Zak was visiting the PennDOT office as his wife Theresa received a new license.

"It would be B or the last one," said Zak.

He's half-right. The correct answer is D.

That's because police can ticket you for driving the speed limit if conditions are bad enough to make 55 or 65 unsafe.

QUESTION: 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

Broadwater was right. She said, "I'd stop and let the pedestrian cross the street." Laird didn't fare as well. He thought it was A, but says pedestrians around his home don't always pay attention to the traffic.

"Some of them kind of putz around," he said.

As for the overall results, GMAC says:
- Drivers older than 35 are more likely to pass.
- Men fared better overall, with 87 percent passing compared to 80 percent of women.
- The success rate on each question varied, but 98 percent of test takers knew what to do when an emergency vehicle has its lights flashing -- of course, that means pulling over.

When compared to other states, the smartest drivers apparently come out of Kansas, Ohio ranked 26th, Pennsylvania is way back at 36th, and West Virginia was at 43.
When ranked against all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the last place was reserved for New Jersey.

You can take the test yourself at http://www.nationaldriverstest.com.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

---