Whether you’re commuting into the office or running errands, there’s no denying that driving takes up a major part of our daily lives (Sydney traffic, am I right?). So we reckon it’s fair to say understanding the road rules is crucial.

While there’s plenty of accurate resources out there, there’s also plenty of driving myths that have been floating around the net for a number of years.

Can I drive barefoot? Can I eat while driving? How about driving with headphones? We bet if you ask a friend or family member, you’ll get a mix of different answers. Yep, even the ROLLiN’ team couldn’t get them all correct.

So, we decided to debunk some of the most common driving myths… the answers might surprise you!

We asked over 1,000 Australians 11 common driving myths to see if their knowledge was accurate and up-to-date. Turns out…it wasn't.

Not a single person could correctly answer all 11 questions and only 6 people had 10 correct answers!

Let's dive into the results…

While it’s a close race, looking across each age group surveyed, Gen Z Aussies (18-24 years) did best overall with an average score of 52%. Gen X (45-54 years) scored lowest overall, with an average score of 48%. And boomers, you weren’t far behind, scoring an average of 49%. Guess it’s a good thing we roll with young drivers.

While results are tight, male respondents surveyed scored slightly better, with an average score of 50%, than their female counterparts, who scored 49% on average. Question 3 had the biggest difference in correct answers between the genders, with 51% of males answering correctly compared to only 39% of females.

When looking at the survey answers on a state level, there was a clear winner.

The Northern Territory holds the highest average score, beating second place by 5%. In fact, the Northern Territory had the most correct answers out of all the states for 7 out of the 11 questions! Sitting just behind the Northern Territory is Queensland with an average score of 52%.

Unfortunately for Tasmania, it takes the wooden spoon with the lowest average score. Despite this, Tasmania had the highest number of correct answers for 3 of the questions.

We surveyed 1011 people and surprisingly there wasn’t a single participant that answered all questions correctly!

Looking at the highest results, the question with the most correct answers was question 7, of which 90.5% of participants correctly identified that it is illegal to drive with a dog on your lap. Driving with a dog on your lap is extremely unsafe for both the driver and the dog!

Question 10 came in at a close second, with 89.8% of participants accurately identifying that parking within 1 metre of a fire hydrant is illegal. Important because if there’s an emergency that requires the use of a fire hydrant, fire trucks need to be able to park and connect to the hydrant.

On the other hand, there were some questions that clearly stumped participants. Question 5 was the clear outlier, with only 6.9% correctly recognising that driving with headphones is not in itself explicitly illegal (although it will always depend on whether it causes a distraction or not or interferes with your ability to drive safely).

Question 1 also had people fooled, as only 9.5% correctly identified that it is technically legal for passengers to put their feet on the dashboard. That being said, while this is not illegal, it’s certainly not advised, as it can cause serious injury.

ABOUT THE DATA

We commissioned survey company Pureprofile to conduct this study on our behalf. We surveyed 1011 Australians on some of the most common driving myths. The survey was conducted in April 2024.

The survey was conducted in line with the nationally representative percentage targets for age, gender and location.

The survey consisted of 11 multiple choice questions, with 4 options in each question to select from.

Average scores calculated by cross-referencing demographic categorisation with quiz selections.

CAN YOU DEBUNK THESE MYTHS?

NB! Always keep in mind that you should avoid any activity that affects your ability to drive safely or to maintain complete control of your vehicle, even if it is not explicitly prohibited. If a particular driving activity causes or contributes to an accident, your insurance may not cover you and you could be held responsible for the accident by authorities, resulting in fines or prosecution.

The information contained in this article and survey are for general information purposes only and shouldn’t be relied on in place of proper legal advice. We make no warranties as to the accuracy of this information and accept no responsibility for any loss or damage suffered by you as a result of your reliance on this information. Always consider your own personal circumstances and refer to the relevant Code, Act and Regulations to determine what is or isn’t allowed on our Roads. Where necessary, you may want to seek legal advice.

To find out more about ROLLiN’s comprehensive car insurance, check out our PDS.

Answers: 1. a 2. a 3. a 4. a 5. c 6. a 7. b 8. b 9. b 10. b 11. c