How dangerous of a driver are you?

[ankit]

[Matt Herring]

I scored a 65% on the test...which is above average for me on any test. As I used to say in college..."D equals Diploma."

[Johnny Mullet]

92%

[trebuchet03]

Not sure I like the 40mph/75 feet question.... Here's why...

It takes 1.27 seconds to travel 75 feet at 40mph.

With anticipation, human reaction time is somewhere between 150 to 300 milliseconds. I had a driving instructor when I first started driving that quoted 750 milliseconds because you can't anticipate the road in addition to potential fatigue. Splitting the difference - lets say your reaction time is ~500ms (.5 seconds)

You have 1.27-.5 = .77 seconds to go from 40 to 0. acceleration = V^2/2d assuming constant deceleration. Well, after that .5 seconds passes, you now have 51.9 feet remaining... So acceleration = 10.1m/s^2 - which is in excess of 1g. Road surface depending, there's a high likelihood of sliding/ABS triggering. All when you could have maintained speed and passed safely.

Add on top of that, a stop that quick could potentially be dangerous depending on cargo and proximity of vehicles behind you.

Traffic light - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The length of yellow lights can differ state to state, for example in many states the length of an yellow light is usually 5 seconds, however in some cities or states the length of an yellow light may be as little as 2 or 3 seconds considerably reducing the time the driver has to react. It is typical for these times to be adjusted in line with the speed limit, faster speeds and a driver may be given more warning of a changing light.

Even at 2 seconds, you have .73 seconds to clear the intersection in which time you would have traveled ~42 feet... Or roughly 3 14' wide lanes.

I would also go further to claim that 40mph is nearer to the middle of the scale rather than the lower end (such as 25mph and lower speed limits).


I'm starting to think I can't exist without something to calculate

[cfg83]

trebuchet03 -

Yeah, it sounded almost like a trick question, so I answered "stop" each time. It's really a "depends" question, but that wasn't a choice. If someone is riding your a**, you should go through the light to prevent being rear-ended.

CarloSW2

[Peter7307]

I agree. Some of the questions were ambiguous and the "it depends" isn't an option.
Still scored 90% and A though.

Pete.

[zjrog]

You scored a 93% (A)! Your driving level is: very safe

I don't even want to think about how I'd answer 20 years ago...

Oh well... 20 years ago this would have been me.
You scored a 51% (C)! Your driving level is: average risk

[wagonman76]

84% here. Could be because of all the time I spend on the road going downstate and back for my daughter.

Not sure about the yellow light question either, but the numbers do add up to making an unneccessary panic stop, or not stopping and making it through the light legally. Yellow lights are way too short.

I also think there is a difference with the radio station question. I put steering wheel radio controls in the wagon, and it is a world of difference rather than having to try to reach for and look at the radio. But most of the time I dont listen to the radio anyway, so thats what I put.

[Nevyn]

I scored an 88%. I rarely listen to radio anymore, because I'm trying to listen to my car. I do sometimes use a bluetooth headset with voice dial (I touch my headset once, and then never have to let go of the wheel). I've had accidents, but none involving other people.

I think it's a little unfair, too.

[almightybmw]

The radio question is crap. Serious, I set the radio when I get in the car for daily commutes. like, once a week. For road trips, I set it and forget it for the duration of the cd, which if mp3s is 6-8 hours. Does that count as "never" or "1-2/hour"?

poor questions are fail. the 40mph question is crap too, since 85% of the lights here have a min 3 sec yellow timer for anything under 45mph. above that its 10% of the road limit, so the 65mph is 6.5 seconds (I did time it just to be sure). So for me, stopping is a hazard as 90% of the drivers will continue through knowing they have 3 more seconds. Given trebuchet's calculations, and an icy road, that means I'll slide through the intersection and possibly have someone rearend me.

Fun quiz, but it needs some revision.
I scored a 73% should anyone care (I know I didn't).