Category: Road Rules

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.

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.

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.

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.

Q: Can you explain how drivers are supposed to proceed at a busy intersection when there is a power outage? On Wednesday there was an intersection with all the lights out, and I witnessed a significant number of potential crashes from drivers not yielding when they were supposed to. How can we make sure that there is less of a risk for traffic collisions?

A: We should install illuminated signs at intersections so that when the power goes out they light up with instructions on how to proceed without traffic lights. Wait, I see a problem with that idea.

Q: Is it legal to turn right on a right red arrow after stopping? I often see drivers doing this, but it seems that if it were legal to turn right after stopping, there would just be a red light and not a red arrow.

A: The steady red arrow feels much more personal, doesn’t it? Like it’s there specifically for you. Actually, it is. But it’s no more restrictive than a steady red light. It’s just more particular.

Q: Since pedestrians and bicycles share sidewalks who has the right-of-way? I was at a sidewalk intersection and almost didn’t see the bicycle speeding toward me. At 80 years it is not easy to make an abrupt stop. When I chided the rider as he swept past me his reply indicted he thought he had right-of-way. If bike riders want to tangle with a car, truck or bus that is their problem. If they hit me, I will probably break something and that could be very serious for me.

A: The bigger and faster you are, the more responsibility you have for safety. That’s not in the law, at least not officially, but it’s a good principle to keep in mind, especially if you’re the bigger, faster one on the sidewalk or road. Building on that concept, I’d like to introduce you to something called “hierarchy of right-of-way.” That’s a term I just made up, so again, not in the law. Stick with me for a minute though, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.