Author: DOUG DAHL

Q: Here’s the situation: I’m at an intersection intending to turn left. The road I’m turning on to has two lanes in each direction. Across from me there’s a car that’s turning right (their right), so we’re both turning onto the same road. Since there’s two lanes, can I proceed to turn into the nearest (left) lane, expecting the other driver to turn into their nearest (right) lane? If there is a bump, who is at fault?

A: Sometimes a question about traffic law is really a surface-level question masking a much deeper concern. Maybe you didn’t intend it that way, but I read it as a search for existential meaning, as in, “How much trust should I have in humanity to consistently do the right thing?”

Q: Why is it that adults and kids all have to wear seat belts, but dogs can roam around in a car? Shouldn’t there be a seat belt law for dogs?

A: The only law I’m aware of that specifically requires a dog to be restrained pertains to animals being transported on the “outside part of any vehicle.” It states that animals must be harnessed or in an enclosure. The law, which dates back to at least 1927, was originally in a group of laws about driving livestock to market (cattle had the right of way), pasturing and camping with livestock along the highway (you had to have enough herders to keep the road available for cars) and how to pass a person riding, leading, or driving an animal in the opposite direction (stop to let them pass, and shut off your engine if it scares the animal.) The law was primarily intended for transporting livestock, but we’ve also applied it to dogs in pickup beds.

Q: Two questions: Is it illegal to have darkened forward windows in a car? Is it illegal to have oversized tires on a pickup truck such that the tires extend wider than the truck body? I see a lot of these situations and I wonder if they are illegal, and if so, why there isn’t more enforcement. Both situations are dangerous for pedestrians; also, the dark windows make coordinating between drivers difficult.

A: Two answers: sometimes and yes. But you actually asked three questions and your third one is the trickiest. So of course, I’ll start with the easy ones. Window tint and oversized tires have something in common – drivers often make those modifications, at least partly, for style. (If you own a pickup with enormous tires and it’s never been off pavement, I’m talking about you.)

Q: Is there a speed at which wearing a seat belt isn’t important because I’m going slow enough to where I won’t get hurt?

A: I’m pretty sure that if I answered this question with an actual number there would be people out there who treat it as a rule: “Oh, I don’t put on my seat belt until I’m going at least 13 mph.” You might think I’m joking, but there’s actual data to (sort of) support the idea. Every year the Washington Traffic Safety Commission conducts a seat belt use observation survey. Yep, it’s just what it sounds like. Observers count how many people wear their seat belts, using enough locations and vehicles to get an accurate representation of seat belt use statewide. According to the most recent survey, 94 percent of vehicle occupants in Washington wear a seatbelt, and it’s been at roughly that level since the early 2000s.

How is this relevant? The survey also tracks seat belt use based on road type. The rate on state routes (with generally higher speed limits) is about 95 percent while the rate on city streets (read slower speed limits) is at about 90 percent. County roads fall in between. It seems that some people are, consciously or not, adjusting their seat belt use to the speed of their driving.