So who should I trust more?

Question

When asking about general driving safety questions what answers would you trust more?

A) An answerer who claims to be an expert or authority (i.e. a driving instructor, a police officer, etc.)

B) A 'top contributor' in that catagory?

C) Someone who is on that catagory's leaderboard?

D) Someone with a high percentage of best answers (say, over 50%)

E) Another factor not mentioned. (Feel free to site examples.)

Answer 1

Listen to handyman, alot of answers are just opinions and some people actual know what their talking about but it's hard to tell throw all the c**p.

Answer 2

First off, this a a great question.

Unless someone shows me something in writing, I tend not to rely on that answer.  If the answer is documented and cited, then I am more prone to trust that answer.  That is why I try to give sources in my answers.

A top contributor badge is not required to have a best answer.  I know of one fellow answerer in the Safety category who does not have a top contributor badge, yet he gives great, documented answers.  I regard him as one of the category's best answerers.

So, I would trust an answerer who gives a source in their answer.  (A top contributor badge and high percentage of best answers normally means something)  Once again, let me hasten to say that that does not mean all non-top contributors do not give best answers.  They do!

Answer 3

The person with the best sources, and/or who provides the most plausible explanation.  

People can lie about who they are, and "experts" sometimes don't know **** about ****, or only have very NARROW expertise.  

Being on the leaderboard means little for any particular answer.

Judge on the quality and verifiability of the answer.

Answer 4

My two cents:

A) An answerer who claims to be an expert or authority (i.e. a driving instructor, a police officer, etc.)

I teach traffic school in Arizona and have done so for 5+ years.  I have seen countelss police officers and driving instructors who did not know the law.  To clarify that, the instructors knew what their company expected them to know, and nothing more.  The officers knew what their city expected them to know, although the officers generally know more than the instructors.

B) A 'top contributor' in that catagory? Hard to say - maybe they know their stuff, and maybe not.

C) Someone who is on that catagory's leaderboard? Ditt for B

D) Someone with a high percentage of best answers (say, over 50%). Ditto

E) Another factor not mentioned. (Feel free to site examples.)

If you are looking for safety tips for driving, check the DMV in your state, or AAA.  They are very knoweldgeable, have lots of studies done by real experts, test tracks, etc.

Answer 5

I think that you have a very good question and what I would suggest is that you take all that is said and do your own research just as we all do and then come up with the answer that fits your situation.

I just try my best to answer the question that is asked by using my own experience and research that I have found concerning the question.

This sometimes offends other people but like the gentleman above I have never said anything negative about anyone or anything that they have said and I never plan too.

Use what is said, don’t relay on the top contributors or the top person in that field, this is only a question and answer forum and you will make the final decision.

To answer why some people are not available through their email it is very simple. In the beginning I was but found out that my inbox was overflowed with questions and I did not have the time and so I shut it off and this is not hiding anything as stated above.

Good Luck

Answer 6

Very interesting question!  ..and not one that's very easy to answer with just a few sentences.  So I apologize now for my lack of brevity.

While A-D could certainly be a feather in someone's cap, it doesn't always mean that person is providing you with the best answer!

First, it's hard to verify if they are who they "claim" to be.  Especially if they provide no contact information in their profile.

Being a "top contibutor" simply means that person throws out a crapload of answers each week and at least 10% of them get picked as best.  Being a "top contibutor" certainly doesn't mean they are an expert!  (Please note: I am not slamming top contributors.  I admire those people who give a large portion of thier time trying to help others and they deserve to have that orange badge.)

Being on a category leaderboard might hold a bit of weight, but again, this can simply be achieved with sheer numbers.  Plus, you might be overlooking a GREAT answer from a relatively new user who hasn't had a chance to move onto leaderboards.

Best answer percentage alone is not much of an indicator by itself because you could have someone who answers alot of math questions and gets picked as best answer alot too.  That doesn't mean they know how to drive!

So I would go with "E"...

Take a look at that persons past answers in the same catagory.  Do they have alot of best answers and do you agree with the advice given?  Answerers who "hide" their past answers might be trying to "hide" something else too!

Does the individual give you an option to communicate with them privately if you'd like to discuss the answer/situation with them in a more detailed fashion.  (Since Yahoo Answers specifically discourages "chatting.")  If a person blocks contact on their profile, they may not be the best soruce.

Speaking of sources, does the person back up their answer with good "sources" or just make that "expert claim" you talked about in answer "A" or worse yet, cite a source that makes no sense.  Personally, I've never found that holy grail of driving knowledge entitled "923".  (If I do, mayble I'll reclaim that top spot!  hehe.)

I think the most important factor is do YOU feel the answerer understood what you were asking and gave you an answer that makes sense?

If you are getting all that and then they ALSO have a high best answer percentage, they are a top contibutor, and/or are on the leaderboard in then you may have a winner...

Note that I say "may"!

Ever listen to Sean Hannity?  He uses a saying that I think makes alot of sense.  "Trust but verify".  When you think you have a best answer, that's great.  Give the guy the 10 points, but then do a bit more research and see if what they have told you holds water.

(By the way, this would hold true I think to just about any catagory, not just "Safety".)

Good luck, God Bless, be Safe!

Answer 7

The LAST person I'd trust would be a cop, but let your own best judgement be your guide.

Answer 8

Don't trust anybody on YA, especially on issues of safety. Just ask questions and people give their opinions and beliefs. You can figure out which ones you like, but they're just peoples' opinions, not necessarily accurate.