Category: Road Rules

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Sex and Intoxication

Sex and intoxication. Did that get your attention? If so, this article is probably not what you think it is. We’re focusing on the less salacious but still very important issue of a person’s biological sex as a significant factor in alcohol impairment; a big deal when it comes to impaired driving. Rather than responding to a single question, this article is prompted by conversations I’ve had with people about impairment levels and driving. Continue reading “Sex and Intoxication”

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Driving From Private Property to Public Roads

Q: If I leave a parking lot that is private property and a sign on the property says right turn only, can I get cited for make a left turn, even if there is no oncoming traffic?

A: Yes, but I think I understand where you’re coming from. Outside of a few criminal violations like DUI and reckless driving, traffic laws are not usually enforced on private property. There are a few exceptions, which I covered in a previous Road Rules article. However, it’s a little different when the private property meets the public roadway. At a minimum, the law requires drivers coming from a private road or driveway to yield to traffic on the public road. Continue reading “Driving From Private Property to Public Roads”

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Brake Checking – Dumb and Dangerous

Q: I am seeing more and more brake checking going on. People doing the brake checking feel they wont be responsible at all if they get rear ended. That’s usually the case, but when you brake check aren’t you also an aggressive driver at that point?

A: For those who are not familiar with the term “brake check”, I’ll start by explaining it. In this scenario, it’s not the regular inspection of one of the critical safety system in your car. Instead, we’re discussing a driver who tries to dissuade a tailgater by slamming on the brakes. Continue reading “Brake Checking – Dumb and Dangerous”

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Slow Scooter on a Fast Road

Q: The speed limit on Mount Baker Highway is 55 mph. Often in the mornings I am stuck behind a person driving a scooter with a max speed of 40. Sometimes they drive on the shoulder, more times they drive in the lane. This creates an unsafe environment as speeding trucks and cars quickly approach and have to slam on their breaks to avoid a collision. Are scooters allowed on Mount Baker Highway?

A: I agree with you about the danger of slow-moving vehicles on high speed limit roadways. Speed differential (the difference between the speeds of vehicles traveling on the same section of roadway) creates all kinds of mayhem. Continue reading “Slow Scooter on a Fast Road”

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Planes vs. Cars – What Can We Learn?

Q: I’ve read that the fatality rate per mile traveled on a commercial plane is much lower than it is when traveling by car. Are there things we could learn from the airlines on how to make our roads safer?

A: There are numerous resources comparing commercial airline safety with driving, and every one of them reaches the same conclusion you stated in your question: Commercial flight is safe. Really safe. In the last seven years no one has died on a US-certificated scheduled commercial airline. Looking back, in 1924, at the dawn of the commercial flight era, airline fatalities were at one death for every 13,500 miles traveled (or 7407 deaths per 100 million miles). In 1960, commercial airlines had a fatality rate of 44 deaths per 100 million miles. In 2015 US airlines flew 7.6 billion miles with a total of, you guessed it, no fatalities. Continue reading “Planes vs. Cars – What Can We Learn?”

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What To Do If You Hit A Sign

Q: Say you slide off the road in ice and snow and you take out a directional traffic sign (curve sign.) I think it would be the right thing to do but it is necessary to report this? And, to whom?

A: I love that this question is posed as a hypothetical, but then includes such a specific detail as what type of traffic sign was (hypothetically) struck. It’s like when you go to the doctor with an embarrassing medical question and say, “Hey doc, I have this friend who was complaining of a burning sensation . . .” Maybe it really is a reader’s curiosity and the question just happened to come up during an icy stretch on our roads. Continue reading “What To Do If You Hit A Sign”

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Cycling and Texting – Legal, but Foolish

Q: I see bike riders, in traffic, riding with their cell phones up to their ear. Shouldn’t they have to follow the same no-cell-phone laws that vehicle drivers do?

A: “Should they” and “Are they required by law” are two different questions. Despite some drivers refusing to admit it, we have data to show that using a cell phone while driving increases the likelihood of a crash. Talking on a phone has similar crash rates to drivers with a .08 blood alcohol level. Texting while driving has crash rates more like a driver with a .20 blood alcohol level. Continue reading “Cycling and Texting – Legal, but Foolish”

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Watch Out For Flying Ice Chunks

Q: Driving on the freeway, my friend and I were following a semi that was divesting itself of its trailer top ice and snow load all over the road. Staying back for a few miles we decided it was done and okay to pass if we did so quickly – wrong. As we passed, the hood and windshield took a huge hit of slabs of snow/ice obscuring vision briefly. We truly thought it would come through the windshield. Fortunately nothing was damaged but our nerves. Is there a law about semi trucks and their trailer top loads of snow? Do we call 911 to report them? It seems incredibly dangerous!

A: You’re fortunate that the ice didn’t come through the windshield. A quick internet search will provide you with some examples of people who didn’t fare as well as you. Ice chunks flying off cars can be dangerous, and we are, as drivers, responsible for whatever falls or flies off our vehicles, whether we put it there or the weather did. Continue reading “Watch Out For Flying Ice Chunks”

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Your Future Driver License

Q: I have a question about the legality of carrying a photo or digital copy of your drivers license, instead of carrying the physical card. Will the police accept the digital copy as proof of a valid license, or would you get a citation? It would be convenient to have a copy in the phone!

A: You can’t use digital a digital copy of your driver license yet, but you’re anticipating the near future. Digital ID has been a topic of conversation in licensing agencies across the country for a few years now, and soon several states may offer that option. For now, Washington is not one of those states. Iowa has been testing digital licenses with about 100 department of licensing employees, and the state hopes that the technology will be ready for full-scale adoption this year. In another project, the US Department of Commerce is partnering with Idaho, Maryland, Colorado and Washington, D.C. to launch a pilot for digital driver licenses. Continue reading “Your Future Driver License”