Author: DOUG DAHL

Q: There are some intersections, usually in neighborhoods, that don’t have any traffic control: no stop signs or yield signs. How are you supposed to handle those? Who yields to whom? And how do the road engineers decide when to use stop signs, yield signs, or no signs?

A:  What if, instead of limiting uncontrolled intersections (ones without signs or signals) to neighborhoods, we pulled out the signs and lights at intersections all over our cities? What would happen? Mayhem? Anarchy? You might be surprised.

Continue reading “Do We Really Need Traffic Signs?”

Q:  Horns are supposed to be safety equipment, right? When everyone honks their horn locking their cars, is this misuse of safety equipment? I’m thinking of a neighbor that honks their horn multiple times every time they park. By law, should car manufacturers be using a different sound so that we still pay attention to horns? When I hear a horn now, I just figure it’s somebody parking their car.

A: You’re so close to being right about this. Yes, a horn is intended to give an audible warning to other drivers “to insure safe operation.” The law states that drivers “shall not otherwise use such horn when upon a highway.” Those last four words are what you’re missing.

Continue reading “Car Horns: Safety Equipment or Security System?”

Q: My neighbor has been driving a tiny pickup that doesn’t have a license plate. It looks like the kind of truck you’d see driving around inside a factory. I don’t think he has a driver license. Is it legal to drive those on public roads?

A: I’m going to change your question a little bit to make this easier. The answer to your question is, “It depends.” Let’s reframe it as, “Is it legal for my neighbor to drive his vehicle on public roads?” And the easy answer is, “Almost certainly no.”

You might occasionally see a tiny truck on the road. These are usually imported from Japan and called kei (short for keijidōsha – Japanese for light vehicle) trucks. Because they were never built for the US market, they don’t meet the federal safety standards for motor vehicles, and it’s not legal to register a vehicle that doesn’t meet US safety standards for use on public roads.

Continue reading “Tiny Trucks Still Require License and Registration”

Q: If a cop is driving their police car home, but they aren’t on duty, can they make a traffic stop? And can a cop from one city make a traffic stop in a different city?

A: Why does this sound like it’s not just a theoretical question? The short answer: yes, and yes. At least since 1983 and 1985, respectively. But don’t take my word for it. The Washington Court of Appeals and the Revised Code of Washington provide the source material.

In 1982 a Lynnwood police officer asleep in his home at 2:30 am woke up, looked out his window, and saw someone prowling around his neighbor’s car. The officer went out, dressed only in a pair of pants, identified himself as a police officer, and attempted to arrest the prowler. Skipping ahead in the story, the Court of Appeals was faced with the question of whether an off-duty officer has the same authority to make an arrest as an on-duty officer. In 1983 the court concluded, “We are convinced that he does.”

Continue reading “Off-Duty Traffic Stops”

Q: I see cars going what looks like at least 25 mph in the alley behind where I work. That seems too fast to me. Is there a speed limit for alleys? And if there is, why isn’t it posted?

A: Everything has its limits. The maximum speed for the Saturn V rocket was 25,000 mph. The maximum speed of a Bugatti Chiron (the fastest production road car) is 305 mph. The Mitubishi Mirage (the cheapest car available in the US in 2023) tops out at 105 mph. Maybe you think I’m not taking your question seriously, but it’s quite the opposite.

The Revised Code of Washington has a set of default speed limits for various types of roads. City streets are 25 mph, county roads are 50 mph, and state highways are 60 mph. That’s the starting point, but you’ve driven on roads with other speed limits. If the default limit isn’t appropriate for the design of the road, local authorities can specify other limits.

Continue reading “Speed Limits in Alleys”

Q: I read your column on pedestrians being required to use the sidewalk when one is available. Is there any law about cars not being allowed to block sidewalks? As a runner, I am continually running out into the street to go around all the cars parked in driveways that hang back enough to block the sidewalk.

A: If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit. Wait, no, that’s the wrong phrase for this situation. I wish I could come up with something as clever as Johnnie Cochran did; a phrase burned into our cultural psyche (at least for anyone exposed to the news in the 90s), so memorable that drivers would no longer park their vehicles on the sidewalk.

Continue reading “Blocking the Sidewalk”

Q: I recently learned that that bicyclists have the right-of-way in the Netherlands. I’ve always heard that bikes outnumber cars over there and it is a bicyclists’ paradise.  But they have the right-of-way; cars and pedestrians have to give way to avoid getting hit by a bike! Why don’t we do something like that here?

A: Can you imagine a place where bikes rule the road, while cars and pedestrians have to fend for themselves? Neither can the Dutch. Many people would agree with you that the Netherlands is a cycling paradise, but it didn’t get that way because of excessively bike-friendly laws.

Continue reading “The Making of a Cycling Paradise”

Q: Why don’t some drivers ever take their free right on red? It’s frustrating sitting there behind someone when they could just go.

A: I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the people reading this question are cheering you on. I am not one of them. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not entirely opposed to the right turn on red. It’s more the attitude I’m not agreeing with.

I’ll explain myself in a moment, but first, a bit about how we got here. The Right Turn on Red (RTOR) has been around for a long time in some parts of the country, but it didn’t become a national institution until the 1970s. The energy crisis prompted the federal government to tie highway funding to energy conservation. One of the conservation requirements was reducing idling for a few seconds by permitting drivers to make a right turn on a red light.

Continue reading “Right Turn on Red is not a Right”

Q: Aren’t drivers supposed to have a clear view out the rear window of their car? I saw someone driving with their entire back window covered in snow. The inability to see behind you is a serious safety issue. They drove past a police car and the officer didn’t do anything. Even if they’re not breaking the law, if I was that officer, I’d have at least pulled them over and told them they should clean the snow off.

A: Snow blocking your view is a problem, and we’ll get to that in a moment. First though, I want to address your proposed violation of a driver’s rights. Let’s pretend for a moment that driving with an entire back window covered in snow is not prohibited by law. The police can’t make a traffic stop just because they don’t like something about the driver’s vehicle.

Continue reading “Snow-Obstructed Windows (and Violating a Driver’s Rights)”

Q: I believe that everyone who renews their driver license should take a small ten-question multiple choice test. That way they would review the “Rules of the Road” book from time to time. It is not meant to deny a license, but to sit down and explain to the person the ones they got wrong and how it should be.

A: I know, that’s not a question. But it did prompt a question for me: Would giving drivers a written test when they renew their license reduce crashes? For the record, I’ve said before that I like this idea. If we’re giving people permission to pilot multi-ton projectiles through neighborhoods, they should at least be able to demonstrate that they know the rules, right?

Continue reading “Would a Refresher Test Save Lives?”