FINAL EXAM REVIEW

DRIVERS ED – MR. THARRINGTON – FEBRUARY, 2015

LANE POSITIONS? 1……..2……..3WHEN DRIVING, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BE IN LANE POSITION……….

•1• When would lane positions 2 and 3 be used?

• NOT while driving regularly, but……

• Maybe if an obstruction was beside your lane, or a pedestrian walking extra closely to the road, or an extra-wide vehicle next to you

SPEEDING IS BAD. BUT IS DRIVING TOO SLOW REALLY A PROBLEM ALSO?

Yes! This could easily cause an accident. Cars behind you don’t expect your vehicle to appear in front of them so quickly.

REFERRING TO THE LAST SLIDE, WHEN WOULD DRIVING TOO SLOW REALLY BE A PROBLEM?

• When you have just crested a hill• When you have just rounded a curve

WHAT ABOUT GOING DOWN A BIG HILL?

• Use a lower gear (sometimes labelled D1 or D2)

• If you were driving a manual transmission car (sometimes called stick-shift), shift into a lower gear (maybe from 5th gear to 4th gear, or from 4th gear to 3rd gear, etc.)

• DON’T ride your brakes all the way down the hill – they’ll wear out!

• DON’T hit the accelerator to speed up as you go down the hill – does that make any sense at all?

• DON’T drive in a zig-zaggy pattern to try and slow down – really?

WHAT IF YOU’RE SLEEPY WHILE DRIVING? WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

• Open a window to get some fresh air• Go faster? Uh, NOOOOOOO• Drink a ton of coffee? Uh, NOOOOOO• Keep staring at the same spot on the road? NOOOOOO

WHAT DOES A FLASHING YELLOW LIGHT AT AN INTERSECTION MEAN?

• Slow down, look around, • and proceed with caution.

WHAT DOES A FLASHING RED LIGHT AT AN INTERSECTION MEAN?

• Stop at the intersection, look around, and proceed with caution. Sort-of like a stop sign, but with more caution attached to it.

WHEN YOU PASS A CAR ON A TWO-LANE ROAD, TRAFFIC GOING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

• Wait until there is enough room to pass.• Only pass when you have a DOTTED white line on

your side.• Use your left-turn signal.• Gently toot your horn to let the car know that you

will be approaching on their left.

IF YOU ARE DRIVING INSIDE THE CITY OR TOWN LIMITS, WHAT IS THE DEFAULT SPEED LIMIT?

•35 mph• But be careful! Many small towns

have their in-town speed limits at 25 mph or even lower.

WHAT IF YOU’RE DRIVING OUTSIDE THE CITY OR TOWN? WHAT IS THE DEFAULT SPEED LIMIT (UNLESS OTHERWISE POSTED)?

•55

WHAT IS THE SPEED LIMIT FOR SCHOOL BUSES IN NORTH CAROLINA?•45 mp

WHAT DOES RAIN DO TO YOUR STOPPING DISTANCE?

• The stopping distance for your car would increase.• This is especially true RIGHT when it STARTS

raining or drizzling, because gravel and rocks that are loose can be stirred up.

QUESTION: TWO CARS APPROACH A FOUR-WAY STOP INTERSECTION AT THE SAME TIME. WHICH ONE HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY?

• STRAIGHT always has right-of-way over TURN• Also, the car on the RIGHT would have the right-of-

way over the other car.• The only exception to this is if the turning vehicle

has an ARROW directing him/her to turn, and the going-straight vehicle still has a red light.

QUESTION: YOU ARRIVE AT A STOP SIGN AND A PEDESTRIAN IS WAITING TO CROSS. THE STREET DOES NOT HAVE A MARKED CROSS-WALK. WHO HAS THE RIGHT-OF-WAY: YOUR CAR OR THE PEDESTRIAN?

• The Pedestrian!

RELATED TO THE LAST SLIDE. WHEN IS THE ONLY TIME THAT THE PEDESTRIAN WOULD NOT HAVE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY?

• When it isn’t an intersection AND there isn’t a cross-walk. In this case, the pedestrian would be “jay-walking.”• NOTE: It is still NOT okay to hit the pedestrian

with your car.

WHAT IF THE PEDESTRIAN IS BLIND – THAT IS, HE/SHE HAS A WHITE CANE OR A SEEING-EYE DOG?

• In this case, the blind pedestrian ALWAYS has the right-of-way, regardless of whether you are at a stop sign, at an intersection, or even in the middle of the road.• All vehicles are required by law to stop and let

blind pedestrians cross at ALL times.

IS A U-TURN EVER ALLOWED?

• In the middle of the street – NO!• At an intersection where you are in the left-hand turn

lane and there isn’t a sign to prohibit U-turns, then it’s legal. • However, pay attention to who has the right-of-way.

Sometimes, special signs will designate who is allowed to go first.

IF YOU ARE RIDING A BIKE IN THE ROAD, DO YOU HAVE TO TRAVEL IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE CARS?

• Yes. You are treated as if you are a car, so you must travel in the same direction and obey all of the same traffic laws.• Correspondingly, there is no law requiring bicycles to stay

on the extreme right-hand side of a lane. They are entitled to the entire lane.• Having said that, be smart. Don’t ride your bike in areas

of heavy traffic. You will ALWAYS lose the battle if you and a car collide.

WHAT IF YOU ARE WALKING ON THE EDGE OF A ROAD WITH NO SHOULDERS? WHERE SHOULD YOU WALK? WHAT SHOULD YOU WEAR?

• Walk FACING traffic, not WITH traffic.• Wear something light-colored.• Again, be smart. If this walking is totally necessary, try to

step off the road if at all possible. Don’t walk in a super-congested area.• Note: Even if the walker is wearing all dark clothing, it is

NOT okay for you to hit him/her with your car.

HERE’S A GOOD ONE: YOU ARE DRIVING, AND A POLICEMAN IS GIVING TRAFFIC INSTRUCTIONS: MAYBE A DETOUR, A TRAFFIC STOP, OR SOME SORT OF EMERGENCY SITUATION.

WHEN CAN YOU DISREGARD THE INSTRUCTIONS OF A POLICEMAN IN THIS REGARD?

• Never! This is a ticketable offense • (and is really stupid also).

POINTS ON YOUR LICENSE: THESE ARE BAD…….

• What’s the worsT – that is, what will earn you the most points?

• Passing a stopped school bus – 5 points!

• “Aggressive driving” – also 5 points!

• What happens if you get TOO MANY POINTS?

• 12 points in a three-year period = loss of license for at least 60 days

• (Not to mention the fact that your insurance costs will go through the roof – probably 5 times as high as they were before! – and that these costs will last for several years)

WHAT ARE TWO THINGS THAT WILL CAUSE YOU TO IMMEDIATELY LOSE YOUR LICENSE?

• Travelling 20+ miles per hour over the speed limit, when the speed limit is at least 55 • Refusing to take a breathalyzer test (this is the Implied

Consent rule – you will lose your license for an automatic 12 months, if not more)

SPEAKING OF REFUSING TO TAKE A BREATHALYZER TEST…..

• Automatic, immediate 30-day suspension of your license• Additional 12-month revocation of your license• 13 months in all!

OH NO! MY CAR BROKE DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY! WHAT SHOULD I DO?

• (Not including a call for help…..)

• Pull off the road, preferably on the right-hand shoulder

• Raise the hood

• Attach something white or light-colored to the antenna or the drivers-side door handle

• Do NOT stand outside the car, unless you are way off to the RIGHT side of it (having the car between you and the road)

MY ACCIDENT WAS ACTUALLY A TIRE BLOW-OUT – WHILE I WAS DRIVING! WHAT SHOULD I HAVE DONE?

• Take your foot off of the accelerator, or at least slow down

• Steer in the direction that the rear of the car is sliding

• Try not to use the brakes – this will mess up the tires

• If possible, park on the side of the road that would place the blown-out tire AWAY from traffic (to make changing the tire easier)

• If possible, turn in your blinkers – AFTER you park

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS?• When you turn on your headlights, this is “low beam.” Use these all of the time, especially…….

• LOW: When you are driving inside town

• LOW: When there are other cars around you

• LOW: When you are travelling behind somebody

• LOW: When another car is approaching you from the opposite direction

• LOW: When it is foggy or raining – the high beams actually bounce off of the fog/rain and make it harder to see!

• HIGH: When you are in an area with no other cars nearby

• HIGH: Or when you are driving in an area where you need increased visibility; for example, there are no street lights around, or it is a curvy road, or you are out in the country and there is the possibility of wildlife

SPEAKING OF CAR EQUIPMENT, WHAT DOES A CAR HAVE TO BE EQUIPPED WITH IN NORTH CAROLINA?

• Seat belts for ALL occupants

• Child seats for those younger than 8 years old or 80 lbs

• Lights: Headlights, Tail lights, Brake lights, License Plate Lights

• Turn signals and a working Horn

• Windshield wipers, rearview mirror, and a working Emergency Brake

SO WHO HAS TO WEAR SEAT BELTS?

• Everyone in the front seat?

• YES!

• Everyone in the back seat?

• YES!

• Everyone who is riding in the vehicle, regardless of where they are sitting?

• YES!

• The only exceptions are children who are in car seats or booster seats, which are also required.

WHO NEEDS A LICENSE?DO YOU NEED A DRIVERS LICENSE TO….

• Sit in the drivers seat of a car that is being pushed on the road?

• YES!

• Sit in the drivers seat of a car that has the engine running (like in a parking lot)?

• YES!

• Buy gas?

• NO!

• Drive a car anywhere on public roads?

• YES!

FINALLY: DRINKING AND DRIVING IS DEFINITELY A BAD COMBINATION, RIGHT?

WHAT PERCENT OF ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS INVOLVE DRINKING AND DRIVING?

•About 50%