reon
10-05-2004, 10:03 PM
So you think you know how to drive a car in Japan? Take this test to see how to measure up. 10 simple Right or Wrong questions (“Right or Wrong” seems a better translation than “True or False”). Post your answers (or guesses) below. The right answers will be posted on Friday. The passing score is actually 9 out of 10, but because we’re all gaijins, 7 will probably do. 
The Test (Time limit is 10 minutes):
-
You can drive through an intersection with a flashing red light if you slow down and watch out for other passing cars.
-
Doubling the speed of your car will also double the force of impact of a collision.
-
The sign below means “Overtaking is Prohibited.”
http://www.wbs.ne.jp/cmt/kenkei/gif/mark17.gif
-
The traffic light has turned to green, but the car in front of you still doesn’t move. You honk to remind the driver.
-
The seat belt not only minimizes the injuries of an accident, it also relieves fatigue while driving.
-
A car running at 80km/h will take about 40 meters to stop.
-
It is alright to drive a car after drinking liquor as long as you don’t go over the alcohol limit.
-
You approach an intersection without a traffic light or stop sign while another car comes from your left on a street that is about the same width as yours. You yield the road because the other car has the right of way.
-
The meaning of a yellow traffic light is “Slow Down”.
-
At the side of the road with a “No Parking” sign, you waited inside your car for your friend for 6 minutes.
daddy_b
10-05-2004, 10:27 PM
Let me hazard a guess: All these statements are WRONG!
daddy_b
reon
10-05-2004, 11:06 PM
sorry, daddy b, wrong answer. 
btw, i edited question 8; i got the direction wrong.
reon
reon
10-09-2004, 12:52 AM
I almost forgot to post the answers.
- Wrong. You need to stop before crossing.
- Wrong. Doubling your speed will quadruple the force of collision.
- Wrong. The sign means, “You can’t overtake by taking space on the opposite lane” (or something like that).
- Wrong. You should wait.
- Right.
- Wrong. A car running 80 km/h needs about 80 meters to stop.
- Wrong.
- Right.
- Wrong. Yellow light means “Stop”.
- Wrong. “Parking” basically means stopping a car at the same place for more than 5 minutes.
Interestingly, daddy b got 90 percent and some people who PM’ed me scored much less.
reon
daddy_b
10-09-2004, 11:02 AM
Reon,
I think I got only 80% (8 out of 10), which means I didn’t make the cut had the test been real, hehe… But just the same, while the other questions were clearly wrong, the reason why I answered “wrong” in questions 5 and 8 are as follows.
(for question 5) I cannot explain in physics terms how the seat belt can relieve fatigue during driving. Under normal driving circumstances, the seat belt doesn’t really restrain you to the seat but still allows for movement as long as it is not rapid or jerky. If you can provide us the manner, scientific if possible, by which the seat belt can relieve fatigue during driving, that would be another lesson learned.
(for question 8) In this case, I would yield the road, not because the other car has the right of way, but because it would be safer; defensive driving, in other words. I think this is a trick question, much like your question before about the child seat for kids 6 years old and below.
What do you think?
daddy_b
jing
10-12-2004, 05:41 PM
daddy_b,
i don’t know about question no. 5, but actually there is such a thing as “right of way” in the case of question no. 8. i don’t drive here in japan and so i don’t know the rules here, but in the philippines, when you approach an intersection without a stop light (or kahit meron, pero hindi gumagana- which is not unusual in the philippines), you yield to the car on the right; siya yung may right of way.
jing
Paul
10-12-2004, 11:04 PM
daddy_b,
i think the reason for No. 5 is that you don’t have to counter the forces solely with your body when you’re braking or turning corners and you don’t tend to move a lot when you have your seatbelt on. i, for one, cannot drive comfortably without a seatbelt anymore. it just feels awkward.
for No. 8, the car coming from the left has the right of way.
btw, i got No. 5 wrong, too. but got correct answers for the rest.
yung No. 3, 'yan yung sign ng「右側はみ出し追い越し禁止」 . ibig sabihin bawal mag-overtake sa kanan na lalampas sa center line. so pwede pa ring mag-overtake halimbawa ng scooter o ng kotse na tumabi sa kaliwang gilid ng kalsada.
reon
10-18-2004, 07:58 PM
i don’t know about question no. 5, but actually there is such a thing as “right of way” in the case of question no. 8. i don’t drive here in japan and so i don’t know the rules here, but in the philippines, when you approach an intersection without a stop light (or kahit meron, pero hindi gumagana- which is not unusual in the philippines), you yield to the car on the right; siya yung may right of way.
interesting. the way filipinos drive, you wouldn’t know we have traffic rules at all :D. pero tama, sa philippines, dapat merong right of way ang mga kotse na galing sa right dahil sa right lane tayo nag-da-drive.
daddy b,
bakit kaya merong right of way ang mga kotse sa kaliwa sa japan? hindi ko rin alam ang exact answer; hindi ko ¶ nabasa ang sagot sa libro. pero meron akong haka-haka.
let’s perform a “thought experiment”. imagine Car A approaching an intersection as described in the original question. then, imagine Car B approaching the same intersection at the same speed from Car A’s left. suppose they don’t stop or slow down, somewhere inside the intersection, they will collide, Car A hitting Car B’s side. note that Car B will never hit Car A because Car B will always pass their point of collision ahead of Car A. that’s why (i think) Car A should yield the road to Car B and Car B should have the right of way.
because we drive on the right side of the road in the philippines, the situation is reversed and the car on the right has the right of way. of course, regardless of who has the right of way, it’s always a good idea to drive defensively and we should yield the road when a clear danger lies ahead.
Paul,
okay yan idea mo tungkol sa seat belt at agree ako dyan. this sentence is from a driving school textbook: “The use of the seatbelt has various benefits such as greatly reducing the damage caused by a car accident and lessening fatigue by ensuring a right posture for driving.” matagal na rin akong nakapag-drive sa japan at hindi na ako komportable na walang seatbelt. parang merong kulang kung hindi ka naka-seatbelt.
hanggang ngayon meron pa ring mga taong nakakapag-drive ng walang seatbelt. it’s often written that had princess diana worn her seatbelt on that fateful night in paris, she would have lived through the crash. note also that her bodyguard, who was in the front passenger seat, survived largely because he had buckled up.
Laiza
10-01-2005, 06:40 PM
Hello everyone here in TF! Ask ko lang kung saan pwedeng bumili ng libro para sa pagkuha ng Jap. license?
crispee
10-01-2005, 08:24 PM
Hello Laiza,
Rules of the Road in Six Languages (http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/road.htm) ang title ng libro na ginamit ko. Manipis lang siya kaya madaling tapusin. Ang importante dito ay maintindihan mo ang nilalaman ng aklat at hindi yung tinapos mo lang basahin. Mabibili ito sa mga opisina ng JAF (http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/list.htm).
Laiza
10-01-2005, 09:50 PM
Thank you again, crispee san! Ang bait mo naman at ang bilis mong mgresponse. God bless!
crispee
10-01-2005, 10:03 PM
Thank you again, crispee san! Ang bait mo naman at ang bilis mong mgresponse. God bless!
Ibig sabihin niyan, busog na ako at wala akong magustuhan sa palabas sa TV:D. At bc si esmi sa kanyang gawain kaya dito naman ako sa teybol ko;). Kidding aside, alam ko kasi na makakatulong din sa iba yung konting impormasyon at wala namang mawawala sa atin. :dogpile:
pointblank
10-02-2005, 01:29 AM
Yes, in Japan, we yield to the car on the left, since we drive on the left lane of the road. In the Philippines, and in the US, we yield to the car on the right as we drive on the right lane.
As to why this is so… di ko rin alam - I am about 60% convinced by Reon’s explanation, the 40% percent doubt comes from the implied belief in the inate goodness of people. If Car A is going to hit Car B in the scenario where they both don’t yield, I would expect Car B to be the one to yield out of self-preservation. Why should Car A yield to Car B if Driver A is going to be the one relatively less injured?
I suspect that the reason could involve sightlines (Driver A, being on the right side of his car, will see Car B before Driver B sees Car A - try drawing this on a sheet of paper); or maybe since the act of turning right or going straight at the intersection is more complicated and/or risky than turning left (in which traversing the intersection is not necessary), Car A is required to yield to Car B and stop to “pay attention” before crossing. Don’t really know because I am not convinced by my own explanation.
As for the seatbelt thing, the answer can only be a “Right” regardless of whether the seatbelt in reality makes you less tired or not. The examiners, in their quest to encourage everyone to strap on their seatbelts, are obviously not going to plant a question that would give smart alecks the slightest reason to make light of a seatbelt’s “wonderful” capabilities. Would Miss America say “I think beauty contests are make sex objects out of women” in the interview portion of the Miss Universe contest? Para niyang pinukpok ang sarili niyang ulo!
missTerry_meh
10-02-2005, 01:40 AM
Para lang po sa mga nagdadrive dito sa Japan,konting ingat lang po sa pag drive kasi hindi po ito Pinas may batas po tayong sinusunod dito na mas mahigpit pa sa Pilipinas hihihi:japanese:
This is an archived page from the former Timog Forum website.