DOUG DAHL

August 4, 2022July 18, 2024

Insurance for New Drivers

Q: My son has his learner’s permit. Do I need to get him an insurance policy now, or do I wait until he has his driver license?

A: There’s actually a simple, law-based answer as to who needs insurance: everyone who drives*. The law states (edited for readability and brevity), “No person may operate a motor vehicle subject to registration in this state unless the person is insured under a motor vehicle liability policy, is self-insured, is covered by a certificate of deposit, or is covered by a liability bond.” One way or another, if you drive a vehicle with a registration, you need proof of financial responsibility. *There are a few exceptions: mopeds, ATVs and some collector vehicles.

July 28, 2022July 18, 2024

Do Group Motorcycle Rides Get Special Rules?

Q: I recently ran into a horde of motorcyclists, and by horde I’m talking 50-60. At cross streets, one motorcycle would block the intersection and the rest would drive through. Red lights were ignored. What’s the police ruling on this?

A: I wonder, do groups of motorcyclists like being referred to as a horde? (The one sure exception being a motorcycle club called “The Horde.”) In one sense, it’s the right word – the dictionary definition includes a large group, a nomadic group, and a moving pack of animals (assuming we include humans as animals.) However, “horde” has a sense of chaos attached to it, as in a horde of stampeding bulls or a horde of attacking zombies. Group motorcycles rides, when done properly, work hard to avoid chaos.

July 21, 2022July 18, 2024

The Problem With Angle Parking

Q: Backing out of angle parking is tricky. Without the aid of backup cameras (or even with them), if the person backing up is hit by oncoming traffic, who would be at fault? This assumes oncoming traffic is not speeding, texting, or otherwise doing something that could contribute to the crash.

A: Before we get to the “Whose fault is it?” part, let’s take a moment to acknowledge that most angle parking has a fundamentally flawed design. Pulling into a parking spot is easy, but the problem becomes apparent when it’s time to leave. Depending on who parked next to you, you might need to back half your vehicle out of the parking spot and into the lane of travel before you can see if there’s another car coming. At the risk of stating the obvious, that’s a bad thing. The problem is that when backing out of an angle parking stall, the driver is positioned at the wrong end and wrong side of the vehicle to see oncoming traffic.

July 14, 2022July 18, 2024

Driving Suspended on Private Property

Q: Can a police officer give a ticket for driving with a suspended license on private property?

A: There are a lot of things you can legally do in a vehicle on private property that would be clear violations of the law on public roads. Driving suspended is not one of them.

If you were to crack open the chapter on driver licenses in the Revised Code of Washington, the first section you’d find would start with, “No person may drive a motor vehicle upon a highway in this state without first obtaining a valid driver’s license . . .” If you read that closely, you’ll notice it says, “upon a highway.” Based on that, you might conclude that driver license laws only apply while you’re on public roads, and you’d almost be right. But not quite.

July 7, 2022February 24, 2025

Turning into the Correct Lane

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?”

June 30, 2022July 18, 2024

To Pass Or Not To Pass

Q: Could you explain how drivers should handle passing cyclists on two-lane roads with a double yellow? Some stretches go for miles so drivers have to pass them at some point. Honking seems rude but they never pull over to let drivers pass.

A: I agree; honking does seem rude. It’s also not a great idea to startle someone on two wheels. Beyond courtesy, the law only allows the use of the horn, “when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation.” Horns are for alerting people of impending hazards, not for requesting more access to the road (although I imagine there might be times when one goes with the other.)

June 23, 2022July 18, 2024

Stopping For Pedestrians

Q: What is the law for how long you are supposed to stay stopped when someone in a crosswalk has passed in front of you and is near the sidewalk on the other side of the street? I asked this because almost daily I will be behind a car that waits until the person is on the sidewalk on the other side.

A: When I first read your question I assumed that the car you’re behind almost daily is some random different driver each time. When I read it again, I wondered if you’re actually stuck behind the same driver; maybe you both have the same route on your morning commute, and you’re continually in the same situation with the same person. (Now I’m imagining that it’s the same pedestrian too. How far can I take this?) If that’s the case, you could avoid the whole situation by leaving for work a minute earlier, but that wouldn’t solve the underlying question, would it?

June 16, 2022July 18, 2024

On The Verge Of A Merge

Q: Recently I was merging onto the freeway, and as I got up to freeway speed on the onramp I found myself next to a car already on the freeway going about the same speed as me. I slowed down to merge behind the car, but that driver slowed down to be kind and let me merge in front. Of course, that doesn’t work well, but it got me wondering who is supposed to do what in that situation.

A: This isn’t the only question about freeway merging that I’ve received. But it’s the nicest. Others blamed poor merging on millennials, political correctness, hostility, and incompetence. I like that you’ve attributed the problem (at least in this case) to kindness.

June 9, 2022July 18, 2024

U-Turns: Be Careful Where You Attempt Them

Q: At some intersections, and even some mid-block locations, I see no U-turn signs. I thought U-turns were generally illegal, especially mid-block. If that’s true, then why post no U-turn signs?

A: I once saw a bumper sticker that said, “God allows U-turns.” Either that’s a metaphor or God hasn’t gotten through to the law makers in some cities and states. Here in Washington, that bumper sticker and our state law are closely aligned, but that’s not the case in our neighbor state to the south (or some cities in our state).

If you’re an Oregonian visiting Washington, you might think we have a bunch of scofflaws making U-turns wherever we please. And if you’re a Washingtonian visiting Oregon, you might get surprised by a ticket for what you thought was a perfectly legal U-turn.

June 2, 2022July 18, 2024

National Secure Your Load Day

June 6^th is National Yo-Yo Day. When I was eleven I became obsessed with yo-yos. But when you get older you realize you can have a yo-yo, and you can have a girlfriend, but you can’t have both at the same time. You’re probably wondering about a connection between yo-yos and traffic safety. June 6^th is not only National Yo-Yo Day; it’s also national Secure Your Load Day.

Do we really need a day dedicated to securing your load? A better question would be, do we really need National Yo-Yo Day or Applesauce Cake Day (also on June 6^th)? Yo-yos and applesauce cake are kind of silly things to celebrate, but making sure that whatever you have in your pickup bed or trailer is properly strapped down and secure can save a life.