Road Rules – Page 22 – The Wise Drive

November 26, 2020July 18, 2024

When The Passenger In The Car Has A Warrant

Q: What is the best thing to do to avoid being identified by police if I’m a passenger in the vehicle? I have a warrant and don’t want to go to jail.

A: I’ve never been in your situation, and I can’t imagine the chronic stress you’re dealing with when so much of your mental energy is consumed by worrying that each time you leave your house your end destination might be jail. However, I have met people who were in your circumstances, and some of them have said it was a relief when they finally got arrested because they no longer had to live in fear of getting caught, so let’s start there.

Your warrant isn’t going to go away on its own. All you’re doing by avoiding it is delaying the inevitable. My first recommendation would be to contact the court that issued the warrant and pay the bail, post the bond, file a motion to quash the warrant or turn yourself in. But you didn’t ask for that answer.

November 19, 2020July 18, 2024

Breaking The Law To Avoid A Crash

Q: Okay, here’s a hypothetical scenario: I’m driving down a road with a double yellow center line, when a kid chasing a ball runs into the street and my only way to avoid him is by going into the other lane. Obviously I swerve to avoid the kid, but is it legal to break the law to avoid a crash?

A: Back in 1984, the Ghostbusters responded to paranormal events in their Ectomobile, a 1959 Cadillac ambulance conversion, modified for busting ghosts. The moment they got their first call the Ectomobile rolled out of the converted firehouse, siren whining and blue lights flashing. And even though the siren is only allowed on authorized emergency vehicles and the blue lights are limited to law enforcement vehicles, that’s not what got the Ghostbusters in trouble.

November 12, 2020July 18, 2024

Homebuilt Trailers – It’s More Than Just Knowing How To Build

Q: I’ve been wanting to get a teardrop trailer, but they’ve gotten really hard to find this year, what with everyone deciding that the middle of a pandemic is a good time for more outdoor activities. If I can’t find a trailer I was thinking about building one. If I do that, how do I get it registered?

A: Are you a “letter of the law” type? Or do you exist happily in gray areas? How you answer that might determine which of the following steps you adhere to in your trailer building process. To be clear, I’m not suggesting that you disregard the rules or skip legal requirements. It’s just that when you’re building your own camping trailer there’s a step that’s not required, but you might regret skipping it later.

November 5, 2020July 18, 2024

Driving With Your Parking Lights – Is That a Problem?

Q: When I started driving in the early 1960s, parking lights were to only be used when the vehicle was stopped. Today, with driving lights and LEDs around the headlights, the distinction of parking/driving lights is blurred (in my opinion). How could someone distinguish if a newer car is driving with their parking lights on, or driving lights? Is it an issue? Or legal to drive with the parking lights on?

A: This started as a “when” question, but it’s going to get, at least partly, a “where” answer. You mentioned that when you started driving in the early 1960s, parking lights were only for when your car was stopped. Given that I was conceived in the final month of 1969, I’m of no help by way of personal experience. Instead, I dug into the archives to see how our laws on parking lights have changed.

October 29, 2020July 18, 2024

New Stop Sign Law for Cyclists – Part Three

Q: Now that bike riders are allowed to treat stop signs as yield signs, what should a driver at a four-way stop do if they’ve stopped and are ready to go and see a cyclist coming? Do you have to yield to the cyclist?

A: Before I address this question, I need to clarify something from last week’s article about tire chains and snow socks. If I left you wondering if maybe the law required you to carry chains in addition to snow socks, even if the chains don’t fit your car, the answer is a firm “no.” And that’s not just my interpretation of the law; it’s confirmed by Sgt. Wright with the Washington State Patrol. The State Patrol does not expect you to carry equipment that is of no use to you.

Now, to your question. Nearly all the discussion about the change to the stop-as-yield law has focused on what cyclists can do, but we haven’t spent much time talking about changes for drivers (if any). This law changes how cyclists ride, but will it change how you drive? Probably not. To explain why, we may need an in-depth analysis of what it means to yield. How many readers did that last sentence just turn away? “In-depth traffic law? I can hardly wait,” said nobody ever (well, I might have said it). Okay, maybe we’ll just go a reasonable depth into yielding.

October 22, 2020July 18, 2024

Tire Chains, Snow Socks, And A Literal Reading Of The Law

Q: The Washington State Patrol lists “alternative traction devices” that are approved for use when “Chains Required” signs are posted. However, the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) states that when chains are required “AWD vehicles will be exempt . . . provided that tire chains for at least one set of drive tires are carried in the vehicle.” Does this mean I still need to carry chains and not just “alternative traction devices” when traveling on roads where chains are required, even if chains don’t work on my vehicle?

A: It’s been said that the most difficult job on a movie set is that of the script supervisor. It’s this person’s job to make sure that from shot to shot there is continuity to the film. They watch for, and sometimes miss, things like bullet holes that are already in the wall before the shooting happens (Pulp Fiction), a smashed up Porsche that is flawless in the next scene (Commando), and a sword injury that promptly heals itself (Die Another Day).

October 15, 2020July 18, 2024

When It’s Foggy, Camouflage Is A Bad Look

Q: Why would someone in a gray car drive without their headlights on when it’s a foggy day?

A: How about I answer a rhetorical question with a non-rhetorical answer? And yes, I just started a non-rhetorical answer with a rhetorical question. Also, is a non-rhetorical answer even a thing? Probably not, but this isn’t an English lesson, so let’s talk about headlights and fog.

October 8, 2020July 18, 2024

Flags on Pickup Trucks – Can You or Can’t You? (Or Should You?)

Q: I have a question about vehicles driving around with large flags on wooden flag poles. I saw one on I-5 with three flags on wooden poles held in place with guy lines, driving 70 miles an hour in a big wind and rain storm. It seems dangerous – lines could break and the poles could fly into other vehicles or create debris on the road. Is this legal?

A: It sounds undignified, but the same law that applies to hauling a used futon to your dorm room after spotting it for free on the sidewalk also applies to flying our national symbol. Whatever you load in or on your vehicle, it’s your responsibility to properly secure your cargo. Here’s the rule: “No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any public highway unless such vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping . . .”

October 1, 2020July 18, 2024

What’s The Risk of Distracted Driving?

Q: What’s the deal with people who wear a mask when they’re driving by themselves in a car, but then they’re texting while driving?

A: Over the past few months I’ve had several people ask me this question, or some variation of it. This morning, as I was walking through my neighborhood I witnessed it myself. I think what prompts this question is a perceived paradox: wearing a mask while driving suggests that you’re concerned about your health, but texting while driving sends the opposite message.

September 24, 2020July 18, 2024

Getting A Ticket In The Mail After A Crash

Q: I was in a no injury accident on I-5. Traffic came to an abrupt stop and I was rear-ended. Damage to the other car was extensive and needed to be towed. We both called his insurance company but no police were called. I waited with him for a tow truck for 20 minutes and then left to work. I received a ticket in the mail for improper lane usage. I contested it and have court next month, but I shouldn’t have got this ticket. Why did the police send me this? They were not called to the scene.

A: In the 2001 heist movie Ocean’s 11, Terry Benedict owns a casino (or three actually) and they’re about to be robbed by Danny Ocean and his 10 buddies. Disregarding that the protagonist in this story, Danny, is likely guilty of multiple felonies while Terry, the purported villain, is only guilty of dating Danny’s ex-wife, the success of the movie hinges on incomplete information. Confident in his casino security, Terry believes he’s not vulnerable to a robbery, but that’s because he doesn’t know the whole story.