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Test your vehicle and traffic law IQ (answers)

Last week’s article presented 20 questions on vehicle and traffic law and traffic control devices. Hopefully you took the test and kept your answers. In this article, the questions are repeated along with the answers and the authority for the answers. See how well you did.

True or false

1. A “two way left turn” lane (center turn lane) may be used to turn left from a street or road entering the street or road you want to turn into. [True, VTL section 1126(c)]

2. Post office vehicles do not have to stop for stopped school buses with flashing red lights. [False – PO vehicles are not exempt from VTL. NYS Laws & Regulations for School Bus Drivers]

3. A school bus with students aboard cannot legally exceed 55 mph even on an interstate highway. [True. NYS Education Department Regulation 156.3e6]

4. At an intersection controlled by a stop sign, if there is no stop bar and no painted crosswalk, you must stop at the stop sign. [False. You must stop at a point near the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of the approaching traffic. VTL 1172(a)]

5. You may legally cross a double solid line when passing a bicyclist riding on the shoulder if it is safe to do so. [True. If no oncoming traffic, it’s required to pass to the left of a bicycle at a safe distance — VTL1122-a]

6. A driver facing a flashing red left turn arrow may proceed with caution with the left turn after having first stopped before entering the intersection. [True — VTL 1113(a)]

7. A driver facing a steady red arrow may turn in the direction indicated by the arrow after having come to a complete stop. [False – In NYS it’s illegal to turn in the direction of a steady red arrow – VTL 1111-3]

8. If bused to school, young children must be picked up in front of their house. [False. No VTL or State Ed Law 3635d requires house pickups.]

9. Where sidewalks are provided and they may be used with safety, it is illegal to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway. [True – VTL 1156(a)]

10. It is illegal for a pedestrian to cross a roadway at other than an intersection. [False. Mid-block crossing is allowed but a pedestrian must yield to all traffic upon the roadway — VTL 1152(a)]

Multiple choice questions

11. A conviction for texting while driving carries: a) 0, b) 2, c) 3, d) 5 driver violation points. [d — 5 points; NYS DMV]

12. If facing a blinking yellow left turn arrow, it means: a) don’t turn – the yellow arrow is about to turn red, b) you may turn left only if it is safe to do so, c) you must wait for a green light to make a left turn, d) trucks only may turn left. [b — Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices]

13. At a signalized intersection, you are facing a green light and want to turn left, but there is a string of oncoming traffic. You should: a) stop at the stop bar and wait, b) go straight so as not to hold up traffic behind you, c) turn right and then make a U-turn, d) proceed into the intersection and wait for a break in oncoming traffic or the light to change, then complete your left turn. [d – NYS Driver’s Manual]

14. What vehicle(s) may display a flashing blue light? a) volunteer fireman’s car, b) member of a volunteer ambulance service, c) rear protection for a police vehicle, d) 1st vehicle in a funeral procession. [a and c — VTL 375(41)]

15. How far in advance of a lane change or turn must you begin to signal: a) 200 feet, b) 100 feet, c) 50 feet, d) before entering the intersection or changing lanes. [b – VTL 1163(b)]

16. Full headlights (not parking lights or daytime running lights) are required by law: a) 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise, b) when wipers are on, c) whenever visibility is less than 1000 feet, d) all of these. [d — VTL 375]

17. Parking is prohibited: a) within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, b) within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, c) on a crosswalk, d) on a sidewalk, e) where prohibited by an official sign, f) all of these. [f — VTL 1202]

18. Which of the following is NOT a permitted use of hazard (4-way) flashers: a) when the vehicle is stopped or disabled on a public highway, b) to warn drivers of following vehicles of a traffic hazard ahead, c) when you are speeding, d) when the signaling vehicle itself may constitute a traffic hazard? [c — VTL 1163(e)]

19. Which three of the following five conditions are U-turns prohibited: a) upon any curve or upon the approach to, or near the crest of a grade where such motor vehicle cannot be seen by another driver within 500 feet, b) within a school zone, c) on any roadway with a speed limit over 40 mph, d) where official signs prohibit U-turns, e) on a highway with 4 or more lanes? [a,b,d — VTL 1161]

20. No matter what age you are, with a learner permit in Franklin County you may NOT drive: a), unless accompanied by a supervising driver at least age 21 who has a valid license for the vehicle you are driving, b) In a DMV road test area, c) on any street within a park in New York City, d) all of these? [d — NYS Driver’s Manual]

We hope you did well, answering most of the questions correctly. If not, now is the time to bone up on your understanding of vehicle and traffic law and applicable rules of the road. To help in this endeavor, be a faithful reader of this column on Mondays in the Telegram and the Enterprise, or on Franklin County’s Traffic Safety Board website.

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