Month: October 2023

Q: What does the law say about using turn signals while needing to perform an emergency maneuver?  For example, if I must avoid a head-on collision requiring a spontaneous and immediate response, am I breaking the law if I do not use a turn signal at this moment? 

A: Right now a bunch of BMW drivers are confused by this question. They’re asking themselves, “How can turn signals possibly be required in an emergency? I didn’t think they were even required for ordinary driving.”

The great driving instructor Archilochus once said that under pressure, “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” Okay, he wasn’t a driving instructor, he was a Greek poet from 650 BC. He’s not wrong though.

Continue reading “Turn Signals in Emergencies”

Q: Both our cars have running lights that come on automatically, but because they aren’t as bright as headlights and don’t turn on rear lights, we tend to drive after manually turning on headlights during daylight hours. Is this any safer?

A: I can’t find any research comparing the safety of headlights and daytime running lights (DRLs.) But there are plenty of studies showing that some light is better than none. Driving with your DRLs or headlights on during the day reduces your risk of a crash in every country except the United States. (We need a punctuation mark for sarcasm.) The study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was “not statistically significant.” However, several states did their own studies and reached similar conclusions to other countries: vehicle lighting reduces crashes, especially collisions with pedestrians and motorcycles, two of the highest-risk road user groups.

Continue reading “Vehicle Lights Reduce Crashes”

Q: I have a friend who is applying for his “right to conduct himself in his personal capacity,” also known as a State National. He’s convinced that once he jumps through all the necessary hoops, he’ll be able to get a new car from the dealership and that he needs no driver license, license plates, or registration. Help.

A: Good luck even getting a test drive without a license. If your friend is deeply invested in this idea, showing him this article probably won’t change his mind. But if he was willing to listen, here’s what I’d say:

People believe a lot of things. Not all of them are true. Some false beliefs are relatively benign. For example, unless you’re pursuing a career like astronaut or satellite engineer, believing the earth is flat probably won’t have much real impact on your life. You might get nervous about sailing too far in one direction, but other than that it’s mostly just enduring the flat earther jokes.

Continue reading “Your Driver License and The Right to Travel”

Q: Many states allow for a digital driver license (DDL). I checked with Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) over a year ago when I read about Arizona’s program allowing DDLs, and their answer was that there were no plans. Even Louisiana, not commonly a leader in digital matters, has it, but Washington seems hesitant. Do you know if DOL has thought about implementing this?

A: Or asked another way, I can put my credit card, my insurance cards (both car and health), my vaccination card, and a boarding pass on my phone. Why can’t my driver license be there too?

I was asked a similar question nearly six years ago, and I predicted that in the near future Washington drivers would have the option of a digital driver license. At the time, a few states were pilot testing the idea, and with Washington consistently ranking high in the tech industry, I thought it wouldn’t be long before our state would offer a DDL. Turns out though, that what holds a state back from issuing digital licenses isn’t the technology, it’s the law (and a few other concerns).

Continue reading “Where’s My Digital Driver License?”