Driver's License Test Prep
California Practice Distracted Driving

According to the manual, what is the main source of distracted driving?

  1. A.
    Music and radio adjustments.
  2. B.
    Cell phone use. Correct
  3. C.
    Applying makeup or shaving.
The Why

The answer is "Cell phone use."

Cell phones are the main source of distracted driving, per the opening line of the Cell Phones and Texting subsection on page 70. The Do Not Drive Distracted bullet list just above it names several common distractions, including looking at a phone, changing music, and applying makeup, but the following subsection separately singles out cell phones as the top source. Choice A pulls the driver anchored on older driver-ed materials, where reaching for the radio dial stood in as the classic in-car distraction before smartphones took over the cupholder.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Music and radio adjustments.

Changing music or volume appears on the Do Not Drive Distracted bullet list above the Cell Phones and Texting subsection, but the ranking sentence in that subsection names cell phones, not radio adjustments, as the main source. This answer reaches for the pre-smartphone textbook example, where the radio dial stood in as the classic in-car distraction before phones took over the cupholder.

C. Applying makeup or shaving.

Applying makeup or shaving sits on the same bullet list of common distractions, but the manual's ranking sentence puts cell phones ahead of grooming behaviors as the main source. This answer picks the bullet that looks most reckless, on the assumption that the manual would flag the ugliest-looking behavior as the top source rather than the most common one.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Distracted Driving in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Cell Phones and Texting," p.70..

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