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Road Trip Quiz: Can You Navigate America’s Highways and Byways?

Test yourself on geography, driving rules, iconic roadside spots and more

Christina Ianzito,

AARP

En español

Published May 10, 2022

9 Questions

d852c5a9-a105-449f-810b-799cd1b8de9f

Road Trip Quiz: Can You Navigate America’s Highways and Byways?

[ {
  "question" : "How long would it take to drive from New York City to Los Angeles nonstop?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "41 hours",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "52 hours",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "68 hours",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "95 hours",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "According to Google maps it takes 41 hours to drive coast to coast, traveling on I-80 (its suggested route). That’s without stopping to use the bathroom, eat or sleep. Some road trippers will do it in about six days, driving seven or eight hours a day.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What is true about the digits in an interstate’s name?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "North-South roads have even numbers.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "East-west roads have numbers ending in 9.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Important cross-country interstates have numbers ending in 0 or 5.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Lowest numbers start in the north and east and get higher as you travel south and west.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "These big highways get numbers divisible by five. North-south roads have odd numbers; East-west roads have even numbers, and the lowest numbers start in the south and west.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "In which state(s) is it legal to turn right on a red traffic light signal?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "36 of the 50 states, unless a sign forbids it.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Every one, unless there’s a sign forbidding it.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "None. It’s technically illegal, but people do it anyway.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Right on red became legal as a conservation measure during the energy crisis of the 1970s (stopping and starting again uses extra gas). Drivers first need to stop and make sure the way is clear before turning. And, of course, you can’t turn right if there’s a rightward arrow that’s red.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which state does not allow motorists to pump their own gas?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Hawaii  ",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "New Mexico",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Rhode Island",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "New Jersey",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "New Jersey has a longtime law prohibiting people from pumping their own gas. A new bill from a group called Fuel Your Way NJ is hoping to change the rule. Many areas in Oregon also don’t allow self-service pumps.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "How much does it cost for a car to cross New York’s George Washington Bridge?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "$16",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "$12",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "$8",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "$4",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The GW is one of the priciest bridges to cross in the country. Two-axle (class 1) vehicles pay a $16 toll one way, though it drops down to $11.75 off peak or $13.75 during peak hours if you use E-ZPass.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Where will you find the iconic Mitchell Corn Palace?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Iowa",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "North Dakota",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Indiana",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "South Dakota",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The kitschy roadside attraction is located in Mitchell, South Dakota, its outer walls decorated with murals made of corn kernels and other grains. Originally built in 1892, the Corn Palace opened in its current location and form in 1921 and has been a tourist draw ever since.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which cities are at the beginning and end of Route 66?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "San Francisco and New York City",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Los Angeles and Chicago",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Las Vegas and Nashville",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "San Diego and St. Louis",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The iconic “Mother Road” connects Los Angeles and Chicago.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "When did federal law require car manufacturers to include seat belts?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "1959",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "1968",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "1975",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "1981",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "New cars had to have seat belts beginning in 1968. New York became the first state to require that they actually be used (in the front seat), in 1985.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Where can you find the Going-to-the-Sun Road?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Along the coast of Maui, Hawaii",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Connecting the Florida Keys",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "In Montana’s Glacier National Park",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Near Alaska’s Denali National Park",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Going-to-the-Sun is a famous scenic road in Glacier National Park. It’s closed in the winter; it’s so popular in the summer that visitors need reservations to access it.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

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Road Trip Quiz: Can You Navigate America’s Highways and Byways?

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Christina Ianzito covers scams and fraud, and is the books editor for aarp.org and AARP The Magazine. Also a longtime travel writer and editor, she received a 2020 Lowell Thomas Award for travel writing from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.