Can We Guess What State You're From Based on Your Driving Skills?

By: Teresa McGlothlin

6 Min Quiz

Image: RapidEye / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Do you leave the radio blaring and the wipers wiping when you get out of your car? It might seem like a small detail to you, but it's not! Every one of your driving habits carries a trait that relates directly to where you grew up. Don't believe us? Tell us all about the way you handle yourself behind the wheel, and we'll show you what we mean.

Growing up in the hustle and bustle of New England is quite a different experience than growing up in the midwestern plains. It would be impossible to grow up where you did without a few of the state's traits rubbing off on you. The way you use your signals and the speed you drive says more about you than you think. If fact, it gives away the state you first called home.

During this quiz, you'll need to shift into neutral and maneuver your way through the obstacle course of your driving habits. If you can make it to the checkered flag without getting a ticket, you'll be on your way to revealing where you grew up. Will we get it right, or will we need to get out our maps and plan another route? Rev up your engines and find out!

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Does turning down the radio help you find a better parking spot?

It works like magic!

No, but it helps me hear Siri better.
Not really, but ducking down in parking garages helps.

Who does that?

JohnnyGreig / E+ / Getty Images

If someone's LED lights are blinding you in the rearview mirror, do you pull over and let them pass?

I flip that little lever on my mirror.

I try to position my car between their lights.
I do stop and let them go around me.

No. It makes me extremely angry, and things get weird.

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Does rush hour traffic turn you into a NASCAR driver?

It turns me into a granny.

I'm afraid it brings out my road rage.
It makes me nervous and overly cautious.

I should be on a racetrack!

Kristina Lindberg / DigitalVision / Getty Images

Do you need a lot of legroom or do you sit really close to the steering wheel?

I sit back as far as I can.

I put the seat in the middle setting.
I like to be as close to the wheel as I can.

The seat won't move, so I sit where it wants me.

Geber86 / E+ / Getty Images

What do you prefer to listen to while you're on the open road?

I listen to podcasts.

On long trips, I like to listen to audiobooks.
I make killer playlists.

I listen to the radio most often.

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Do you do some of your best thinking when you are driving?

It's therapy.

That's when I do my best singing.
I'm too busy thinking about traffic.

I have some of the best hands-free conversations.

97 / E+ / Getty Images

Are you guilty of using two feet for the gas and the brake pedals?

And I drive barefoot sometimes!

How can anyone drive like that?
I get the clutch and the brake confused sometimes.

I did when I was younger.

Graiki / Moment / Getty Images

Where do you put your hands on the steering wheel? Is it 10 and two?

I drive with one hand.

It's always 10 and two.
It's more like nine and three.

I would say it's closer to eight and four.

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How far before a turn do you usually signal?

What is this signal you speak of?

I start signaling a few hundred feet before a turn.
I signal at least 50 feet before my turn comes up.

I would say about 100 feet.

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What does your gas gauge read when you stop to get more?

I fill it up on half.

I wait until the light comes on.
I don't let it get below 1/4 of a tank.

I will let it get down to about 1/8 of a tank.

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How do you deal with someone riding your bumper?

I pull over and let them pass.

I slow down until they pass me.
I just ignore them.

I take a detour at the next turn.

Patcharanan Worrapatchareeroj / Moment / Getty Images

When you get out of your car, do you always set the parking brake?

I never use it.

If I'm parked on a hill, I will.
I always set it when I park.

Mine doesn't work!

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How long do you let your car warm up before you take off?

At least five minutes

A minute or two
It depends on the time of year.

You're supposed to do that?

Malorny / Moment / Getty Images

If you've been sitting at a red light for an extended amount of time, what do you do?

If it's safe to go, I go.

I call and report it.
I wait until it changes.

I try to make friends with people in the cars around me.

When do you usually start using your bright lights?

After dark only

At dusk
Right at sunset

I leave them on all the time.

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Do you have a heavy foot, or do you never break the speed limit?

I usually go a few miles an hour over it.

I try my best to do the speed limit.
I have a very heavy foot.

It depends which one of my passengers you ask.

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During an average day, how much time do you spend driving?

Less than an hour

Around two hours
About an hour

You don't want to know.

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What's the first thing you do when you see lights and sirens behind you?

Panic!

I pull over.
If they are far away, I take the next turn.

I assume something bad has happened.

Emanuel M Schwermer / DigitalVision / Getty Images

Do fast songs make you drive faster?

I've never noticed.

Yes, that's how I got a ticket once.
Yes, until I notice that I'm speeding.

I don't think so.

Marco Rosario Venturini Autieri / E+ / Getty Images

Who's usually riding shotgun when you're in the carpool lane?

My dog

An inflatable from Halloween
We don't have those here.

My sweetheart

Do you let your car coast when you're going down a steep hill?

It holds back on its own.

I like to accelerate going downhill.
I shift into neutral to save a little gas.

I usually ride my brakes.

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Which one of these things makes you crazy when you see drivers doing it on the road?

Reading a map

Putting on makeup
Having breakfast

Driving slow in the fast lane

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Are you the type that drives around until a closer parking spot opens up?

You betcha!

I'm not that lazy.
If it's raining, I do.

I park when I see the first available space.

Kiyoshi Hijiki / Moment / Getty Images

What's the minimum speed you will set on our cruise control?

70 MPH

I never use it.
55 MPH

60 MPH

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Would you keep driving until your favorite song was over?

I'll sit in the car until it finishes.

I do that all the time.
I'm always running too late for that.

I only listen to music at home.

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Will you flash your lights to let other drivers know about a hazard you just passed?

I never knew what that meant until now.

It's the polite thing to do.
I do it when there are cops ahead.

I flash my lights to let trucks know they can come in front of me.

Henrik Sorensen / DigitalVision / Getty Images

How do you approach parallel parking?

I find a better spot!

I use my backup camera.
It takes me a few tries, but I can do it.

I look over my shoulder.

Zero Creatives / Image Source / Getty Images

Do you frequently check your car's tires before you drive it?

I always have a walk around.

I have a light that tells me about that stuff.
I check them once in a while.

If one needs air, I can tell by the way my car drives.

Henrik Sorensen / DigitalVision / Getty Images

Are you more likely to take the fastest route or the shortest route?

I always take the shortest one.

It's great when they are the same thing.
I'll take the one with less traffic.

I'm all about the speed.

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When you get lost, will you stop to ask for directions?

If I drive around long enough, I usually find it.

I have no problem stopping to ask.
Siri handles that for me.

I carry maps for that reason.

7 Minute Quiz 7 Min

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