DOUG DAHL

November 17, 2022July 18, 2024

The Proper Way to Turn Left

Q: I was recently told by a friend that the proper way to make a left hand turn at a stop light was to proceed into the intersection when the light turns green, then wait until oncoming traffic has cleared and make your left turn, even if the light has turned red. (He kept saying “Read your Driver Manual” but I could not find the answer.) I was taught to wait until you are certain you will be able to turn left before it turns red. Have I been doing it wrong all these years?

A: If your friend took his own advice (to read the driver guide), he might be inclined to retract his statement. I’ve checked with reliable sources, including the Revised Code of Washington, the Washington Driver Guide, driving instructors, and police officers. None of them support your friend’s position. If you squint, you could conclude that it might not be illegal, but that’s certainly not the same as “the proper way.”

November 10, 2022July 18, 2024

Getting Good at Not Skidding

Q: What should I do if my car starts to skid on ice or snow?

A: Many years ago, I learned a valuable principle from a defensive tactics instructor. He said, “If you don’t want to get hit, don’t be there.” His advice was intended for physical confrontations, but metaphorically it works in a lot of other situations. Maybe you already see where I’m going with this.

It’s easy to mistake knowledge for skill, and I’m concerned that if I answer this question the way I think you want me to, that I’ll perpetuate that mistake, so let’s shift the focus from hazard recovery to hazard avoidance. Skidding is an indicator that your driving has exceeded the limitations of the road conditions, so instead of practicing how to recover from a skid, we should practice how to drive within the limits of the road conditions and prevent the skid.

November 3, 2022July 18, 2024

Why You Shouldn’t Disable Your Airbag

Q: I drive an Escalade. It’s a tank. My airbag went off in a collision and it almost killed me. I think I should have the option to disconnect it. It’s my car. Many other cars don’t have it. Why should I?

A: I’d like to start with a different question. Does the jurisdiction responsible for designing, building, and maintaining a road also have an obligation to protect the people who use that road? If your answer is no, we’re going to disagree on what follows. But before you answer, let’s talk about roller coasters.

October 27, 2022July 18, 2024

Picking the Right Lane

Q: When driving on a four-lane road through a neighborhood, is it safer to drive in the left lane and risk a head-on collision, or the right with less space to react to people or objects unexpectedly entering the roadway?

A: There’s that scene in Empire Strikes Back when Han Solo is trying to evade several TIE Fighters by going into an asteroid field. C-3PO warns him, “Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to one.” Han replies, “Never tell me the odds.”

October 20, 2022July 18, 2024

Emergency Vehicles at Traffic Lights

Q: If one is stopped at a traffic light on a street with a middle divider, what are you supposed to do when an emergency vehicle, sirens blaring, approaches from behind? To clear the way, you would have to run the red light.

A: The law, of course, is clear on how to handle a red light in a normal driving situation. However, there’s no section of the law titled, “What to do at a red light when emergency vehicles come up behind you.” If you’ve been reading this column for a while, you might have noticed that unusual driving situations keep popping up. What you can’t see is all the questions that go unanswered, partly because I can only answer one question a week, but also because sometimes the situations are so unique that the answer would only be relevant to the person asking the question.

October 14, 2022July 18, 2024

The Real Speed Limit

Q: Something that has not made sense to me since I started driving (49 years ago) is the apparent discrepancy in the posted speed limit (for example 50 mph) and the cautionary speed signs entering sharp turns (say 35 mph). My understanding is that it is legal to fly (unsafely) around the 35 mph corner at 50 mph. Why does the legal speed limit not change when there are tight turns?

A: I think the fundamental issue here is an incomplete understanding of our speed laws. And please don’t take that as a criticism of you personally. I mean that collectively. So I guess you could say I’m criticizing all of us. I’ll explain what I mean in a moment, but first let’s consider some unintended outcomes if we did create regulatory speed zones for every curve that currently has a cautionary sign.

October 6, 2022July 18, 2024

Watch for all Kinds of Pedestrians

Q: When people walk along roadways, they should wear bright clothes and carry lights at night. Today black seems to be the dominant color, and that is plain dumb and dangerous. Also, people should walk facing traffic, so why do I often see pedestrians walking on the wrong side of the street?

A: You’re mostly not wrong, but you’re not exactly right either. As I write this, I’m sitting in a café. I took a look around, and every person here is wearing either dark or subdued colors. It’s Washington. That’s how we dress. Soon many of us in this café are going to become pedestrians, maybe crossing the street to our cars, or walking home. Meanwhile, on the road right outside the café, a cycling group just rode by, all wearing neon yellow or other bright colored jerseys.

September 29, 2022July 18, 2024

Getting To Know a New Car

Q: When leaving an evening wedding, I followed a car driven by my grandmother. She had borrowed the car, so she was unfamiliar with it, and was driving without the lights on. I had no clue how to alert her to turn on her lights. Can you think of any way I could have helped?
A: A few years ago, I bought a car that had Daytime Running Lights (DRLs). For anyone unfamiliar with DRLs, they’re kind of like headlights, but dimmer, and they come on automatically when you start your car. The idea is that the lights make your car more visible in the daytime, especially in poor lighting conditions, like dawn, dusk, and the next seven months in western Washington.

Before I criticize DRLs, let me state that I love daytime vehicle lighting. As a cyclist, I’m frequently checking my rearview mirror for approaching vehicles, and I’ve noticed that I can spot cars with their lights on much earlier than those without, even on sunny days. That gives me more time to anticipate where I might get passed and ride accordingly. That’s good for me and good for the driver.

September 22, 2022July 18, 2024

What Does That Whistle Mean?

Q: I’m curious about why trains use a Morse code signal when approaching crossings.

A: For anyone confused by that question, next time you’re waiting at a railroad crossing listen to the train’s horn. It’s a long-long-short-long signal. That corresponds with the letter Q in Morse code. What’s the connection? Probably none, but that’s not interesting, is it?

The most common of several explanations (none of which I believe) is that back in the 1800s, whenever Queen Victoria rode in a steam ship, the captain would use a horn equivalent to the Morse code Q to warn other ships to yield the right-of-way to the queen. When trains started using whistles, they adopted the signal for Q when crossing roadways. Given that America was barely past half a century since rejecting England’s authority when Queen E took the throne, didn’t have a queen of their own (to state the obvious), and at least until 1915 used a different signal, I find this explanation highly suspect.

September 15, 2022July 18, 2024

Collector Plates are not a Top Crash Factor

Q: As I understand it, cars with collector vehicle license plates cannot be used for regular transportation, commercial purpose or carrying a load. I regularly observe collector plated vehicles at grocery and home supply stores. Last week I camped next to a Collector plated VW van. Is this a no priority enforcement situation?

A: My first brand new car was a 1991 Toyota Tercel. It gave us many affordable, reliable miles and ran beyond its expected lifespan. If it still had it, I could register it with collector plates. That doesn’t make it a classic.

The law allows vehicles that are at least 30 years old and in good running condition to be licensed as collector vehicles. The upside of registering your car as a classic is that collector vehicle plates are valid for the life of the vehicle. Yep, you read that right. You never have to pay for your tabs again.