Q: I know transit buses have a right-of-way when entering traffic from a bus stop. They have a special yield blinker light that they illuminate separate from the left turn signal. I saw a driver use the yield blinker when entering the freeway. Do I have to yield to a bus merging onto the freeway? Legally is the question. I always try to not be a danger/nuisance when large, slow vehicles are trying to deliver children, goods and other things I can’t imagine not having in my life.
A: Just as a matter of survival, it’s always wise to yield to buses. Maybe it’s not always the law, but it is the rule of lug nuts. If you’re not familiar with that rule, it states that in any given collision between two vehicles, the one with the most lug nuts wins. Using the word “wins” in the context of collisions is admittedly crude, but you get my point. For anyone concerned with their own well-being, the rule of lug nuts should be enough. I appreciate that you went beyond that and also have concern for the people (and goods) onboard big vehicles.
Some people might think it’s shallow to care about the cargo in a delivery vehicle, but three months into isolation at home, we all want to make sure the delivery truck makes it to our house with the artisan flour, merino wool yarn, grown-up coloring books or whatever we’ve ordered to try not to melt into our couches from binge-watching Tiger King.
Beyond caring about our safety (and the safety of our packages), there is a law about yielding to transit buses. The legislature demonstrated a brief flash of brevity when crafting this law. Point one simply states, “The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a transit vehicle traveling in the same direction that has signaled and is reentering the traffic flow.” Note that it doesn’t require the bus driver to use a special signal. That’s just there to get our attention.
And after longing for short and simple laws, it becomes apparent why so many of them are not. What does “reentering the traffic flow” mean? We know it applies when a bus is leaving a bus stop, but does it extend to any time a bus is merging into traffic?
For that answer I contacted the safety and training supervisor at Whatcom Transportation Authority. He told me, “Our training department does not teach operators to use the yield blinker when merging onto freeway traffic. We teach them freeway traffic has the right-of-way.” He said that the yield blinker is for buses reentering traffic from transit stops.
There you have it: according to the person who trains the bus drivers, buses are supposed to drive just like the rest of us when merging onto the freeway.
Now that we’ve got that answered, I’d like to walk it back a bit. We’re working from the assumption that drivers coming on to the freeway are supposed to yield to those already on the freeway, but I don’t think the answer is that one-sided. If you take a look at the Washington Driver Guide or search through the Right-of-Way section of our state laws, you won’t find anything requiring drivers merging onto the freeway to yield.
Where then do we get the idea that we have to yield when coming onto the freeway? (And yes, we do.) It’s a law that says drivers shall not change lanes “until the driver has first ascertained that such movement can be made with safety.” You might argue that it’s just another way of saying “yield” but when paired with the law that says all drivers are to “exercise of due care and caution as further circumstances shall require,” it sounds to me like we can make freeway merges a team effort.
Don’t misunderstand me; if you pull onto the freeway without checking for traffic and you get in a collision, you’re not off the responsibility hook by arguing that the car on the freeway should have let you in. Plus, there are some onramps that actually have yield signs on them. Yes, merging traffic needs to yield, but existing traffic can help out. If you’re on the freeway and you see someone on the onramp a bit ahead of you, slow down or move over (if it’s safe) and create a gap for them. It’ll only cost you a couple seconds and you’ll have made someone’s driving experience a little better and safer.
And not that it’s a law, or even should be, but when we do something kind for another driver like create a space to merge and they respond with a thank you wave, well, that just feels good. If you’re a thank you waver, thank you.
This is the guiding principle I try to teach my students. Often, when I ask them if they have any interstate driving experience, they will say something like “Yeah, my dad made me get on it and then get off at the next exit.” While that may give them a (brief) introduction to merging, it does not train them to be a safer, more courteous expressway driver. Especially if their merge onto the interstate was nerve-wracking, I will mention how much easier it would have been if someone had slowed down or moved over to let them in. When they enthusiastically agree, I will then state that we are going to practice that very thing! To do it, you must travel more than just between two exits. I have them drive far enough to pass several interchanges, and look ahead to see what, if anything, is coming down the on-ramp. If little to no traffic is coming, I have them adjust their speed to accomodate the merging vehicle(s). If there are more than two getting on the interstate, I have them look for a gap in the lane to our left to safely move over. Then, once we are past the interchange, I have the student look for the first opportunity to safely move back to the right.
I love this. It’s great to hear from a driving instructor and know that our kids are learning more than just the rules about driving. Thanks for teaching new drivers to be good drivers.