You are 18 or older and have a passenger in the front seat. What does the Oregon Driver Manual recommend you do with your phone?
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A.
Hold it on speaker mode in your lap to keep both hands on the wheel.
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B.
Consider assigning your passenger to be in charge of the device. Correct
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C.
Turn it off or put it in the back seat and ignore it.
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D.
Send any text or set up navigation before you start moving, then ignore the phone.
The answer is "Consider assigning your passenger to be in charge of the device."
For drivers 18 and older, the manual states: "Consider assigning your passenger to be in charge of the device." Even though hands-free use is legal at 18 or older, the handbook's specific recommendation when a passenger is available is to delegate phone duties (calls, navigation, texts) to them so your attention stays on driving.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Hold it on speaker mode in your lap to keep both hands on the wheel.
Holding the device, even on speaker, violates the hands-free requirement for drivers 18 and older. The manual's specific recommendation is to put a passenger in charge of the device. Misreading: Treats speaker mode as satisfying the hands-free rule; the manual requires a hands-free accessory needing only minimal use of a finger, not a held phone.
C. Turn it off or put it in the back seat and ignore it.
"Turn it off or put it in the back seat and ignore it" is the manual's guidance for drivers under 18, for whom any device use is illegal. At 18 or older, hands-free use is allowed, and the manual's recommendation with a passenger present is to put them in charge of the device. Misreading: Misapplies the under-18 rule (turn it off or put it in the back seat and ignore it) to a driver 18 or older, who may use a hands-free accessory.
D. Send any text or set up navigation before you start moving, then ignore the phone.
Pre-trip setup is sensible, but the question asks what the manual specifically recommends when a passenger is present, and that recommendation is to assign the passenger to handle the device. Misreading: Substitutes a general safe-driving habit for the manual's specific recommendation to assign the passenger to be in charge of the device.
This question tests your knowledge of Distracted Driving in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Distracted Driving," p.80..
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