Month: July 2017

Posted on

Different Symbols – Same Meaning

Q: In downtown Bellingham at certain corners of sidewalks there is one of two symbols. The first is a circle in green with a person standing next to a bicycle. The other is a circle in red with a line through the circle showing a person on a bicycle. What do these mean? Does the green one mean that a bicyclist is allowed to ride on the sidewalk, but must get off at the corners? Does the red one mean no bicycling on the sidewalk whatsoever? They are confusing signs since the two seem to be saying two different things; Please explain. Thanks.

A: You’d expect that if you saw two different signs, each of them would have a different meaning. That’s probably where the confusion lies. These two signs each take a different approach to explaining the same law. If we start by examining the law, both the signs should make more sense. Continue reading “Different Symbols – Same Meaning”

Posted on

New Distracted Driving Law Now In Effect

As of yesterday, Washington drivers have a new set of rules to follow regarding distracted driving. In the lead-up to the implementation of the law, you may have been bombarded by messages from the state and news stories from your favorite media outlets about the details and consequences of the new law. If you were on a media fast for the last couple months, let me be the first to welcome you to the current era of distracted driving law. This week’s topic might lean a little too far toward the technical side of things, but this new law will affect the current behavior of, based on current data, about 70% of the drivers on the road (you know who you are), so we may as well dig in and understand the new rules. Continue reading “New Distracted Driving Law Now In Effect”

Posted on

What Makes a Safe First Car?

Q: My daughter is about to get her driver’s license, and I want to get a vehicle that’ll keep her safe. What do you recommend?

A: Let’s start by agreeing that new drivers are some of the most dangerous people on the road. If we love our kids (of course we do), we want to put them in the safest vehicle possible for their first driving years. It turns out that it’s not easy to choose which car is the safest. Continue reading “What Makes a Safe First Car?”

Posted on

The A-Pillar Problem

Q: I recently had a close call with a pedestrian. I looked both ways before pulling into the intersection, but he seemed to appear out of nowhere, right in front of my car. How is that possible?

A: Back when I went through driver’s ed . . .  I know this sounds like a setup for a story where I teach the next generation about life by telling them about walking to school up hill both ways barefoot in the snow, but its’ not; stay with me. Back when I went through driver’s ed we were taught about blind spots. We know blind spots are the areas just behind the driver, on either side of the car, where a car, bike or pedestrian could be invisible due to a poorly adjusted mirror and a failure of a driver to turn and look. Continue reading “The A-Pillar Problem”

Posted on

Should School Buses Have Seatbelts?

Q: Why are there no seatbelts in school buses, public transit buses, or private transportation vehicles like charter buses? In regard to these transportation types, we still seem to be in the “let ‘em fly” era, when car occupants – kids and all – were just loose cargo going every which way in the event of a crash.

A: You just brought up a four billion dollar question. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, the good news for seatbelt advocates: In 2013, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that commercial carrier buses (the ones you hire or buy a ticket to ride on) would be required to have seatbelts, starting in 2016. The rule only applies to new buses, and does not apply to public transit buses or school buses. Continue reading “Should School Buses Have Seatbelts?”