Category: Road Rules

Q: Has road striping paint changed? When I’m driving at night and in the rain it’s tough to see the lines. It doesn’t seem as reflective as it used to be.

A: You’re probably not looking for a history lesson on road paint, but it’s a cute story so I’m going to tell it. In 1911 Edward Hines was following a milk truck down the road as the truck leaked milk from its cargo hold. The stripe of white milk in the middle of the road inspired Hines, a member of the Wayne County Road Commission in Michigan, to paint centerlines in Wayne County to separate two-way traffic. The folks in Michigan call it the most important traffic safety device in the history of auto transportation. The rest of us think the seat belt claims that title, but it’s still a great idea.

Continue reading “Worn-Out Road Stripes”

Q: I know it’s not legal to drive with an open alcohol container in the car, but is it legal for a driver to drink alcohol in a parked car? Assuming the driver doesn’t drink enough to be impaired, have they broken the law?

A: Before I tackle the question about the law, I’d like to clear something up. There isn’t an okay amount of alcohol in your system when driving. Washington’s per se law sets the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at .08, but a driver can be affected by alcohol at well below that limit. And impairment begins earlier than you might think.

Continue reading “Drinking in a Parked Car”

Q: When two cars are at stop signs that face each other and have a road going between them that doesn’t stop, does a car going straight have the right-of-way, even if they come to the stop sign after the left-turning car?

A: What if I said nobody has the right-of-way? It’s sort of a trick answer, but it’s also sort of true. The law doesn’t give people the right-of-way; it tells you who is required to yield the right-of-way. It might sound like the same thing, but it matters as a point of driver responsibility. Assuming you have the right-of-way can get you into trouble, even if the other person should have yielded.

Continue reading “Left Turns and Right-of-Way”

This week, instead of answering one of your questions, I have a question for you. But first, I need you on my side. You’re likely familiar with the following quote, sometimes apocryphally credited to Abraham Lincoln: “My right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins.” There’s a 150-plus history of Americans agreeing with that sentiment, so if that doesn’t ring true for you, you’re the outlier.

Of course, it’s a metaphor, and it’s been applied to many situations besides fists and noses, including arguments against slavery, bars in neighborhoods, and smoking in public. It’s also an argument in favor of a person’s right to do whatever they’d like as long as it doesn’t harm someone else.

Continue reading “Can We Actually Stop (Some) Dangerous Driving?”

Q2: Several years ago, the son of a coworker was ticketed for having wheels that stuck out past the fenders.  They were installed by the local tire shop. Just yesterday I saw a jacked-up truck with wheels that were at least six inches exposed outside the fenders. Why can tire stores install illegal equipment? My experience is that they can’t, by law, remove and reinstall a worn-out tire when asked to rotate them.

A: Let’s start from the end of the question. You’re right that tire shops won’t install worn-out tires, but I couldn’t find a Washington law that prohibits it. Admittedly, there are a lot of laws to search through, and it’s possible that I missed it, so I stopped by a reputable tire installer and talked with a service person who’s been in the tire business for several decades. Surely, he’d know what law prevented them from installing unsafe tires. He didn’t know of any law either; they don’t do it because it’s their company policy. While it is a violation of the law to drive on public roads with unsafe tires, there is no law about installing them. (At least in Washington; some states prohibit shops from installing unsafe tires.)

Continue reading “It’s Legal to Install Illegal Tires”

Q: In a school zone, if the lights are flashing but school is out (like for spring break), does the 20-mph speed limit still apply?

A: Sounds like someone forgot to turn out the lights before they went on vacation. Dad’s going to be pretty upset when you all get home. I hope you’re ready for the lecture on responsibility, how money doesn’t grow on trees, and that if this is how you’re going to waste his resources maybe now is a good time to start paying rent.

Oh, wait, wrong scenario. Let’s talk about school zones. The easy answer is, yes, if the beacons are flashing the speed limit is 20 mph. Now, when someone says an answer is easy and responds with such confidence, you should ask for sources. And since you’re asking, I’ll admit this is a bit of an argument from silence.

Continue reading “School Zones: When The Flashing Lights Don’t Go on Vacation”

Q: Lately I’ve driven through some intersections that have artwork painted on the pavement, including some multi-colored crosswalks. I think it looks great, but I wonder if it distracts drivers and makes intersections less safe. And is it legal to paint crosswalks whatever color you want? I thought there were rules that specified the colors for crosswalks and other street markings.

A: I have often said (possibly to the point of irritation) that predictability is a core component in safe driving. When we follow traffic laws, other drivers can better anticipate our actions, and it creates harmony and safety on the road. But what about our transportation infrastructure? Should the markings on the roadways also be predictable? Yes, they should.

Continue reading “Street Art Saves Lives”

Q: You’ve written before about A-pillars being a visibility problem, but try being tall with the safety cam in newer cars completely obscuring your vision for its own purposes of viewing and distracting you as a driver! Aren’t there some standards that car companies have to meet about visibility?

A: Are we living in a world where we’ve prioritized what a car can see over what the driver of the car can see? Until we reach a point where cars no longer have steering wheels or gas and brake pedals, we still need to see where we’re going.

Continue reading “Visibility and Distraction in New Cars”

Q: In front of my building I saw a shiny Cadillac Escalade, that on closer inspection had fender-bender dings, attempting to parallel park in a too-small space. Oh, I forgot to mention that the rear bumper has a “student driver” sticker on it. That leads me to the question, what vehicles are appropriate for student drivers?

A: I just thought of a brilliant idea. Let’s link a driver’s age with the weight of the vehicle they’re allowed to drive. You’d take your age, add two zeros, and that’s how many pounds your car can weigh. New teen drivers would be limited to 60s era Mini Coopers and golf carts. In your 20s you could get a compact car. You couldn’t drive a full-size pickup until your late 40s.

Continue reading “The Right Car for a New Driver”

Q: I have a car with ten air bags. If I get in a crash I’m going to be floating in a balloon-filled cabin. With that many airbags, is the seat belt still necessary? I realize it’s the law, but from a safety perspective how much does it help anymore?

A: Not only are airbags an effective safety feature; they also function as a prompt for jokes. Like these: New cars come with up to a dozen airbags, and that doesn’t count your passengers. New cars have so many airbags that they’re beginning to rival a political convention. Airbags – inspired by a road trip with your in-laws. I didn’t promise they’d be good jokes.

Continue reading “Airbags – Pillow or Projectile?”