Final answer:
Most accidents happen within a short distance of home, likely because drivers are in familiar surroundings. The statement about driver error contributing to auto accidents can be assessed using statistical hypothesis testing. Safety when crossing the street depends on personal judgement considering the car's distance and speed, and one's own pace.
Step-by-step explanation:
Most accidents happen within 25 feet of home, which is considered a short distance and implies that many accidents occur very close to where people live. The high concentration of accidents near home can be attributed to a variety of factors, such as drivers letting their guard down as they approach familiar surroundings, or perhaps the increased amount of time spent driving in residential areas compared to other locations.
Driver error is a significant factor in auto accidents, contributing to approximately 54 percent of fatal crashes. When analyzing a sample of 30 random fatal accidents and finding that 14 were a result of driver error, we could conduct a hypothesis test to determine if this sample proportion is statistically different from the AAA's reported proportion. Using a significance level of a = 0.05, this would tell us if the difference might be due to chance or if it indeed suggests a different underlying proportion.
When considering crossing the street safely, one should gauge the distance of oncoming cars in terms of car-lengths. While there is no universally safe distance, a good rule of thumb is to ensure that the car is far enough away to allow you ample time to cross without rushing. Individual judgement should account for various factors like the car's speed, road conditions, and your own walking pace.