Month: June 2024

Q: There’s a short stretch of road I travel frequently that is reduced to one lane because part of the road fell into the ocean during a storm. There are stop signs on either end of the one-lane road. Most of the time drivers alternate one car in each direction, but sometimes when several cars are lined up on one end, they’ll all go through at once. Shouldn’t we be alternating? What does the law say?

A: The law says a lot of things about a lot of things, but not much about this. I might even be underselling how little the law addresses this situation. I can’t find any law in the Revised Code of Washington specific to your question. Maybe that’s not surprising. We don’t typically build one-lane roads and expect traffic from both directions. This scenario seems limited to unexpected road failures, construction zones, and one-lane bridges in rural areas.

Continue reading “Right-of-Way on One-Lane Roads”

Q: I’ve noticed a proliferation of children riding small (but loud!) motorcycles around the neighborhood. Usually up and down the same street until presumably either their fuel runs out or their mother calls them in for dinner. Sometimes they have helmets, sometimes not. What does the law say about this kind of activity?

A: If I were twelve years old and had access to a pocket bike, I’d definitely want to ride it on the road. Twelve-year-old boys are kind of dumb that way. So parents, this one’s on you, both legally and as the responsible adult.

Continue reading “Little Motorcycles and Little Humans”

Q: Do you need to come to a complete stop before turning right at an intersection when the light is red, if the red traffic signal is located across the intersecting street for vehicles proceeding through the intersection? In other words, do you have to stop before turning right only if the traffic signal light is on the right curb of the right turn lane?

A: The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), the official guide book for traffic road signs, markings, and signals, devotes 70 pages to traffic control signals and how they’re configured. It includes over one hundred charts, graphs, and diagrams showing the various approved methods for using traffic control signals. None of them match what you’ve described.

Continue reading “Red Still Means Stop”

Q: I saw that there was a bill about low rolling resistance tires being required in Washington. I didn’t even know that was a thing. It looks like they’re good for gas mileage but maybe not as good for traction. Is it a good move to require tires that might not be as safe?

A: I have a friend who likes to run. And once she found her perfect shoe, she never deviated. When she worried that the shoe might get discontinued, she stocked up on multiple pairs.

Maybe some drivers feel the same way about their tires and would be heartbroken to know that the factory-installed BF Goodrich All-Terrains on their Hummer H2 don’t make the efficiency cut. For the rest of us, if this bill had passed (and it didn’t this year) it would likely have minimal impact on our lives.

Continue reading “Low Rolling Resistance Tires Are Not the Law (Yet)”