May 2019 – The Wise Drive

May 26, 2019July 18, 2024

Trucker Bling or Safety Concern?

Q: I’ve seen quite a few semi trucks with metal spikes sticking off their lug nuts. That seems incredibly dangerous. I’ve seen it so often that I’m assuming it must be legal. But how could it be?

A: I could probably write an entire column that consists exclusively of bullet listing all the equipment violations commonly seen on the road. I recall a deputy telling me that he once had to essentially quit noticing all the equipment violations of cars that he was sharing the road with, because he would have never made it home from work if he kept making traffic stops.

May 19, 2019July 18, 2024

The Rudest Insult in Traffic

Q: What exactly is jaywalking? Is it just crossing the street where there isn’t a sidewalk?

A: A little over one hundred years ago, the New York Times decried the use of term jaywalker as, “highly opprobrious” and “a truly shocking name.” I had to look up opprobrious, and if your vocabulary doesn’t include that word either, here are some synonyms: derogatory, insulting and scandalous. Who knew calling someone a jaywalker could be so offensive? Back in 1910, calling someone a jay was essentially saying they were a hillbilly that didn’t belong in the city. It was a semi-vulgar classist insult. But how did it become associated with traffic?

May 12, 2019July 18, 2024

Who Doesn’t Buckle Up?

Instead of a reader asking me a question, this week I have a question for you: Do you know anyone that’s received a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt? It’s entirely possible that you don’t. Washington ranks in the top five states for seatbelt use, with close to 95 percent of vehicle occupants wearing a seatbelt. The four states ahead of us are mostly neighbors; Oregon, California, Hawaii (sort of a neighbor), and Georgia, the geographic outlier. The state with the lowest rate of seatbelt use? New Hampshire, at about 68 percent. Its state motto is, “Live free or die.” I’m pretty sure General John Stark was not thinking about seatbelts when he wrote that in 1809, but that’s the reason many New Hampshirites (is that what you call them?) give for why they don’t want a seatbelt law.

How do we know the percentage of seatbelt users in each state? Because there are people watching you drive. Creepy? It’s not as bad as it sounds. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) conducts annual seatbelt observations using trained observers to watch for seatbelt use at pre-identified locations around the state. If you want all the details about this spying (it’s not really spying) you can read the full report at the WTSC website.

May 10, 2019July 18, 2024

A Seatbelt PSA That’s So Bad It’s Almost Good

Does anyone remember The 5th Dimension? They had some big hits in the 60s and 70s (Up, Up and Away, Aquarius). By the 80s they were playing the nostalgia circuit, so maybe they needed some cash when the opportunity to do a traffic safety PSA came up. I’m guessing they’re not too proud of their work here, because it doesn’t show up in any band bio or discography; not even on Wikipedia. If nothing else, this video certain captures everything wrong with the 80s, at least when it comes to fashion. Oh, and what’s up with the eye patch guy? Enjoy.

May 5, 2019July 18, 2024

The Idaho Stop – It’s Not Really Stopping

Q: Are you familiar with the Idaho Stop? It’s the law, in Idaho of course, that lets cyclists treat a stop sign like a yield sign. What do you think of that? It seems like there would be more crashes. Is it more dangerous than making cyclists stop?

A: Since 1982 Idaho has allowed cyclists to roll through stop signs after yielding to other traffic, and for over three decades it was just this odd little rule in one smallish state. That law became known as the Idaho Stop because, well, you could only legally do it in Idaho. Why are we talking about an Idaho law in a column on Washington traffic laws? First of all, Idaho is our neighbor, and also, the law is spreading. Delaware legalized the Idaho Stop in 2017, but called it the Delaware Stop. Last month Arkansas adopted the law; no word yet on whether they’re calling it the Arkansas Stop. Some cities and counties in Colorado allow it, and several other states in recent years have considered but not yet enacted the law.