Driver's License Test Prep
Texas Practice Distracted Driving

Your cell phone rings while you are driving. What does the manual tell you to do?

  1. A.
    Answer briefly to tell the caller you will call back.
  2. B.
    Do not answer the call or respond to the text message. Correct
  3. C.
    Answer only if using a hands-free headset.
  4. D.
    Send an auto-reply text saying you are driving.
The Why

The answer is "Do not answer the call or respond to the text message."

The manual says do not answer the call or respond to the text message when your phone rings while driving. The 'answer briefly to say you'll call back' choice is the trap; drivers pull that from phone etiquette, but the manual treats even a brief answer as the same distraction it is telling you to refuse.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Answer briefly to tell the caller you will call back.

The manual does not allow a short answer; picking up the call is what the rule tells you to skip. Applies phone etiquette to a rule that treats a brief answer as the same distraction as a long one.

C. Answer only if using a hands-free headset.

The rings-while-driving guidance does not fold in the hands-free exception; the instruction is to not answer at all. Carries the adult hands-free carve-out into ringing-phone guidance where the manual does not.

D. Send an auto-reply text saying you are driving.

The manual tells you not to respond to the text message, and an auto-reply is still a message sent from your phone while driving. Treats a canned reply as a loophole, a habit borrowed from workplace out-of-office auto-responders.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Distracted Driving in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Texting While Driving," p.54..

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