Q: Would you please explain the reason why the right turn onto the freeway on-ramp must yield to the left turning vehicle? Example: Bakerview and I-5 southbound on-ramp.
Encountering An Unexpected Yield
A School Bus Driver’s Perspective
Summer in Washington is like a good nap; amazing while it’s happening but never long enough. One of the first signs that summer is wrapping up? The school buses that are on the roads starting this week. We’ve covered the topic of school buses before (and you can find those articles at TheWiseDrive.com) so I’m not going to repeat myself here. Instead, let’s hear from an actual school bus driver. I had the privilege of talking with a local bus driver and asked him about some of the things he sees, both good and not so good, as he’s driving kids to and from school. What follows are some of my questions (in italics), followed by a loose paraphrase of his accumulated bus-driving wisdom.
The Difference Between Drunk and Impaired
Q: If the legal limit for getting a DUI is .08, how can someone get a DUI if they blow less than .08? Wouldn’t they not be legally drunk?
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Rolling Coal: What It Is- And What’s The Point?
Q: I’ve seen diesel pickups spewing out black smoke on command, or “rolling coal”. It seems like sometimes they do it intentionally to irritate other drivers or cyclists. It that legal?
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Vintage Cars – Where To Put The Kids
Q: This week we have a couple questions about kids in vintage cars: I have a 1939 Packard, which of course has no seatbelts. I’d like to be able to give my grandkids a ride in the car but without seatbelts I can’t install a carseat. Is it legal to let a child under 12 ride in a car without seatbelts?
Distracted Driving for Commercial Drivers
Q: The distracted driving law has an exception for commercial drivers, but what is the definition of that? I drive a box truck used for construction. It’s registered in the company name and has the company name all over it. I have a regular driver license. On any given day, I receive a minimum of ten calls from the office or customers and make about the same number of outgoing calls. Yesterday, I pulled to the side of the road five times to talk on the phone and twice a cop rolled past to see if I was in need. For the other calls, I was able to use the headset or sent them to voicemail, much to the chagrin of the callers. Am I considered commercial or not?
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The Where and Why of Traffic Enforcement
Q: It’s obvious that the police respond to high-crash locations after crashes happen, but do they ever patrol these areas (and most others) to do proactive, deterrence enforcement? I guarantee that if traffic stops were performed and citations written, the driving behavior would improve.
Dogs In Truck Beds – Illegal or Just Unwise?
Q: So many times I see people with dogs in the back of their trucks that are not tied in. I have seen dogs fall out of the back and be seriously injured or killed in the past. What is the law regarding having a dog or dogs, in the back of an open pickup?
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Making Tailgating Tickets Automatic
Q: On the topic of tailgating, specifically enforcement: Why couldn’t they use the traffic cameras to watch for this type of activity and then just send out tickets? There should be a way to develop a formula for determining proper distances. And for the open highway, why not develop drones that could do the same thing? With all of the new technology it seems that it should not be too difficult to track and identify tailgaters, at least the more egregious ones. Maybe a project for one of the new technology sector institutions.
When Tires Stop Stopping
Let’s talk about tires. I recently had a conversation with someone about tire performance and how it relates to the price of a tire. The question was essentially, “Is it worth it to buy expensive tires for my car?” There is a study from AAA that answers that question, but in the process of exploring the question I encountered what I think is even more important – how long you keep your tires on your car.