Why 2 answers

sioda

Passed the theory test last week but for the rest of my life will remember one question
Select 2 answers: When entering a tunnel you should
a)Listen to the local radio
b)Switch on your dipped headlights
c)Switch on you hazard lights
d)Switch on you main beams
e)Listen to the radio channel for the tunnel

Correct answers b & e. Now I mean for god sake this is ridiculous. Must have asked over 20 fully liscenced drivers the question and most either said no must be only one answer.

I mean what sort of rule would have you take your eyes off the road to tune the radio when you enter a tunnel

Wishbone Ash

sioda wrote:

Now I mean for god sake this is ridiculous. Must have asked over 20 fully liscenced drivers the question and most either said no must be only one answer.

Are you implying that it is 'ridiculous' to have two answers OR that one of the two answers is 'ridiculous'?

sioda wrote:

what sort of rule would have you take your eyes off the road to tune the radio when you enter a tunnel

They are not concerned that you should be entertained while travelling through a tunnel but are requesting it for your safety. In the Dublin Port Tunnel, for example, the tunnel operaters have a radio 'break through' system and can convey messages to motorists via FM radio. In an emergency, these messages may save you life.

sioda wrote:

for the rest of my life will remember one question

What makes you think you will remember it for the rest of your life? You only did it last week!

sioda

Sorry maybe i wasnt clear. You are entering a tunnel and you have to tune in to a radio station.

Thus you have to know the frequency of the station and tune in a radio. All the questions in that book were to enable you to become a safer driver this one encourages taking you eyes off the road to tune in a radio.

Its a stupid answer you should never have to take your eyes off the road especially in a situation of a complete change of lighting and road situation.

The ridiculous nature of the question will keep it in my mind

Wishbone Ash

sioda wrote:

You are entering a tunnel and you have to tune in to a radio station

You don't have to 'tune' into a specific radio station. It just has to be on any of the channels on the FM band if possible. I'd imagine that 99% of motorists have some FM channels stored on the radio.

bonkey

sioda wrote:

I mean what sort of rule would have you take your eyes off the road to tune the radio when you enter a tunnel

http://www.dublinporttunnel.ie/safety/

Tune into FM radio stations to hear safety instructions, in case of incident.

In other words....don't be listening to non-FM radio stations. Don't be listening to your Cd-player or your iPod. Don't have your sound system turned off.

Thats all it means.

A local radio station, incidentally, may not be broadcasting in FM, which is why that doesn't qualify as a correct answer.

tuxy

So if have your radio off and you see a tunnel ahead what should you do?
It is not safe to reach over and turn it on while driving.
Are there parking areas provided near a tunnel to pull over and adjust your radio?

bonkey

tuxy wrote:

So if have your radio off and you see a tunnel ahead what should you do?

You should berate yourself for not having checked your route before you began on it, or for not having thought of this before you started driving a route you knew there was a tunnel on.

Are there parking areas provided near a tunnel to pull over and adjust your radio?

I haven't driven in any Irish tunnels. Here in Switzerland, any tunnel worth the name will have SOS spots for pulling over *niside* the tunnel for making phone calls, or dealing with any other issue.

If I were to face this problem here, I'd first berate myself for not thinking about checking my route in advance, then would pull over as soon as possible and correct the situation.

Stark

bonkey wrote:

You should berate yourself for not having checked your route before you began on it, or for not having thought of this before you started driving a route you knew there was a tunnel on.

Because noone ever takes a wrong turn in Dublin...

bonkey

Thats a convenient response, but to be fair, tunnels don't just "pop up" out of nowhere.

Its pretty damned hard to find yourself on a road which leads to a tunnel and nowhere else, with no option but to end up in the tunnel and no possibility to pull in somewhere before you end up in the tunnel, or at the first emergency stop point in the tunnel.

Note - deciding to take the tunnel because you've missed a turn and its teh easiest/fastest way to get where you're going doesn't qualify. You don't put convenience over safety. If you can avoid the tunnel, by pulling in or turning off, then you do so if turning on your radio is going to be a safety risk.

If you find yourself in that position, unlikely though I find it to be, where you unexpectedly find yourself with no option but to enter a tunnel that you hadn't planned to, and no possibility to legally do otherwise then you have to make a judgement call and decide whether driving without your radio on is a greater or lesser risk then turning on your radio.

I'm assuming of course that in the Irish rules of the road, minimising risk takes precedence over all other rules at all times. If you find yourself in a lose-lose situation, you make a judgement call as to which is the least worst option and you make it quickly.

Wishbone Ash

tuxy wrote:

It is not safe to reach over and turn it on while driving

If you can't safely switch on your radio while driving, I think you need to question whether you should be driving at all.

Conar

I don't see what the big problem is with changing the radio station anyway.
Did you complain so much when you got to the part of the rules of the road where it says that you have to look in your rear view mirror from time to time.

If changing the radio station was such a dangerous task then I'm pretty sure they'd ban radios in cars.

Stark

I agree. It's not dangerous if you know how to find the power button without taking your eyes off the road, which isn't really hard. I mean what would you do if your windscreen or rear mirror fogged up while driving? Pull in somewhere just to press a button?

il gatto

Wishbone Ash wrote:

If you can't safely switch on your radio while driving, I think you need to question whether you should be driving at all.

My sentimonies exactly:D Are you people serious? If you need to pull over to switch your car stereo on, do us all a favour and take the bus.

January

I agree with all the people above and I haven't even taken the theory test yet. The switch for your radio is less than a foot above your gear stick, it should be easy enough to move your hand from said gear stick and press a button to turn on your radio. You don't have to tune into a specific radio station just as long as you are on the FM frequency, which is all the major radio stations, if there is an emergency message that needs to be broadcast then it will be done so over the FM frequency.