City of Pleasanton - Parent/Adult Traffic Quiz Answers

1. You are on your way to pick up your child from school. You are driving on a street with single family homes on both sides of the street. The speed limit is:

On most residential streets, the speed limit is 25 miles per hour. The California Drivers Handbook says that you should drive more carefully near schools, playgrounds, parks, and residential areas because children may suddenly dart into the street. The faster your car is going, the more distance you will travel before you can bring your vehicle to a stop. For example, if you are going 25 mph and you see a child in the street in front of you and hit the brakes, your car will travel about 150 feet before it comes to a stop. If you are going 35 mph, your car will travel about 250 feet before it comes to a stop. The lower your speed, the better the chances are that you can avoid a collision.

Families have busy lives, with many activities and obligations, but please slow down and drive cautiously in any area where children may be present. Also, keep in mind that speeding in residential areas detracts from the neighborhood quality of life, so please be considerate of your neighbors. The most common complaint received by the City of Pleasanton Traffic Engineering Division is that of vehicles speeding in residential neighborhoods.

2. You have arrived by car to pick up your child from school. There are no parking spaces available on the street, except for an area with red curb. You should:

According to the California Vehicle Code , a street curb that is painted red means no stopping, standing, or parking, whether the vehicle is attended or unattended. This means that you should not pull over to the curb in a red zone, not even for a very brief stop to pick up a passenger. In a school zone, red curb is often painted to provide visibility, so that drivers pulling out of driveways can see pedestrians and other vehicles. Stopping in a red zone creates a safety hazard.

3. In Pleasanton, the most common cause of traffic collisions is:

The leading cause of traffic collisions in Pleasanton is speeding. About 28% of traffic collisions in Pleasanton are caused by speeding. As stated in item 1) above, the lower your speed, the better your chances will be in reacting to and avoiding a collision. Other top causes of collisions in Pleasanton include Improper Turning 16%, Right of Way Violations 12%, and Traffic Signal Violations 10%.

4. You have just picked up your child from school, and are driving home. A crossing guard steps off the sidewalk and raises her stop paddle. You should:

When you see the crossing guard raise the stop paddle, bring your vehicle to a safe stop and do not travel over any portion of the crosswalk the crossing guard is standing in while the stop paddle is raised. The California Drivers Handbook states that you should wait for the crossing guard to get to the side of the road before driving ahead. When you are in a school area, look for school safety patrols or school crossing guards and obey their directions.

5. To make a right turn at the corner, you

Must merge into the bicycle lane before turning. The California Vehicle Code states that “ Both the approach for a right-hand turn and a right-hand turn shall be made as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway”.

6. Pedestrians have the right of way when they are in:

According to the California Vehicle Code , “the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection…”