The Wise Drive

February 17, 2022July 18, 2024

Red Light Cameras – How Stopped is Stopped?

Q: At an intersection with a red light camera, what is the period of time required by the camera to be considered a complete stop before making a right turn on a red light?

A: There’s a story behind this question, isn’t there? Did anyone else read that question and think to themselves, “Someone just got a ticket.” That’s way too specific of a question to be just a curiosity.

A red light camera is, at its core, sensors, cameras and a computer. The sensors, installed in the pavement, measure the movement of cars through the intersection. When the traffic signal is green the computer ignores the messages from the sensors. When the light is red, the computer listens to the messages from the sensors. If the sensor says, “hey computer, this car is still moving,” the computer tells the camera to take a couple pictures of the car. An officer then reviews the data to confirm a violation has occurred. The people who design these systems might tell you it’s more involved than that, but you didn’t ask an engineer.

February 10, 2022July 18, 2024

Politeness Is Not A Crime

Q: What am I supposed to do when the person who has the right-of-way is “polite” and tells me to go? If something goes wrong won’t I be responsible? I’d rather they just go.

A: A few years back a PEMCO insurance commercial captured what you and many other folks have felt about the too-polite driver. You might remember it; two deferential drivers at an intersection alternating between gesturing to each other to go and inching forward after accepting the other driver’s offer. To really drive home the point, it ends with a jogger getting to the crosswalk, where they all have a three-way polite-off. The title of the ad: “4-way stop you go, no you go, no you go guy.” Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe that’s you.

Yes, of course it’s good to be polite. But can it be illegal? To answer that we need to understand right-of-way. To keep things simple, let’s consider a four-way stop. The law states that when two drivers approach an intersection at approximately the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield right-of-way to the vehicle on the right.

February 3, 2022July 18, 2024

Calling 911 for Dangerous Drivers

Q: What action should one take when witnessing severe unsafe driving? For example, on a recent trip I saw a semi truck repeatedly cross traffic lanes, three motorcycles drive in between lanes and cars through traffic, and two cars race ahead at 80+mph. Should these incidents just be ignored? Do you call 911 to report unsafe driving? Or, do you stay in your zone listening to podcasts to avoid your own road rage from building?

A: Anyone who has been driving for a while has had a day when you were seriously annoyed by another driver. And there’s a good chance there has been a day when you were the annoying driver, too. Hopefully not on purpose, but mistakes are inevitable in life, and if driving is part of your life you’ll make mistakes there too.

Then there are times when another driver actually scares you. Maybe you fear for yourself, or possibly you have a vicarious fear for the other drivers on the road. Things like a semi truck drifting into another lane or cars racing down the freeway can do that.

January 27, 2022July 18, 2024

Using Your Hazard Lamps (When You’re The Hazard)

Q: One time I helped a person drive home a car that could not achieve the speed limit. The road was two-lane and curved. I put on my emergency flashers, concerned that some speeding driver would come from behind. The only car around was a WSP trooper who pulled me over and made me turn off the emergency lights. I see slow-moving trucks with their emergency lights all the time. What gives?

A: Let’s acknowledge a couple things: the misuse of hazard lamps is not why we’re having more traffic crashes, and I can’t answer on behalf of the trooper that asked you to turn them off. But I think hazard lamp laws are fascinating. (That might be the first time anyone has written that sentence.) Note that I said “laws” plural. On its own, Washington’s law on hazard lamps is pretty ordinary. Where it gets interesting is when you start comparing laws around the country.

January 20, 2022July 18, 2024

Vehicle Paperwork – Safe Ways to Stay Legal

Q: We’ve had a lot of car break-ins in our area lately. An obvious course of action is not to leave valuables in the car. But what about paperwork like registration and proof of insurance? Removing documents every time you leave their vehicle seems like a recipe for an awkward moment when you forget them or someone else drives the vehicle. Do you recommend taking them or leaving them in the vehicle?

A: Yep, you’re supposed to have your registration and insurance documents in your vehicle when you drive, but the crime prevention folks will tell you it’s a bad idea to leave them there when you’re not with the car. What do you do when the crime prevention advice doesn’t quite sync up with the law?

January 13, 2022July 18, 2024

Frequency Illusions, Perception Gaps, and Safe Driving

Last week I mentioned something called a frequency illusion, and I accused it of contributing to negative driving behaviors. I feel I should explain. For those that missed it, a frequency illusion happens when something you just discovered starts showing up everywhere. Frequency illusion is often benign, like when you buy a car and then start noticing ever other driver with the same car, or when you discover a band and then start hearing their music everywhere. However, it can also shape our perceptions in ways that increase the risks we take.

As an example, on your commute you might notice a couple cars speed past you. Now that the speeders have your attention you notice them all, without noticing all the drivers who are respecting the speed limit (because they’re not passing you). You might start to think that most drivers speed (which speed studies consistently show to be untrue.) Here’s where the risk comes in: research shows that when a person believes that most other drivers engage in a high-risk behavior, they’re more likely to do it too.

January 6, 2022July 18, 2024

Too Far and Too Close – Stopping at Intersections

Q: As a driver coming from a different state, one of the first things I noticed here is that the cars seem so spread out at stop lights. I was taught to pull up fairly close to the vehicle in front of you to make room for other vehicles on the road. I’ve seen people leave one, two and even three car lengths between their car and the one in front of them. Is this courtesy not taught in driver education around here? The “big space” people block others from getting to a turn lane, block cars from entering the roadway and sometimes use up a good portion of a green light to get through an intersection.

A: Until I read your question, I hadn’t noticed this as a problem. And then, on my next drive, I saw someone leave what looked like three car lengths between themselves and the car in front of them at a traffic light. Had I been overlooking a wide-reaching issue that’s been right in front of me? Probably not. More likely, I just experienced a frequency illusion; when something you just discovered suddenly starts showing up everywhere. While mostly benign, frequency illusions can influence traffic safety, and not in a good way. But that’s a topic for another article.

December 23, 2021July 18, 2024

The Two-Way Turn Lane Is Not For Passing

Q: Imagine it’s another slow drive home and, as usual, you’re backed up in traffic, waiting for your chance to swing into the left turn lane and (hopefully) leave the congestion behind. Other drivers are obviously thinking the same thing, except they’re whizzing past you, using that long two-way left turn lane as a passing lane to get up to the light. Should you swing over there, too? And how soon is too soon?

A: It’s hard to resist the lure of open pavement, isn’t it? You’re stuck waiting two minutes at a time for the light to change, moving forward ten cars, and then waiting again, all while watching the scofflaws using the center turn lane to get ahead. Yes, those people whizzing past you using the two-way left turn lane as a passing lane are violating the law.

December 16, 2021July 18, 2024

Two Left Turns – The Dance of the Intersection

Q: Scenario: I’m making a left turn at an intersection (across oncoming traffic). There is an oncoming vehicle doing the same. (We’re now pointing at each other in the intersection.) Do we pass each other and then turn? Or turn before we pass? Sorry this is hard to describe — it’s also hard to deal with in real life, too!

A: If you’re going ballroom dancing, it helps if both you and your partner know the same steps. My own knowledge of the topic is limited to an introductory class taken in an attempt to not make a fool of myself at a wedding where I knew we’d be ballroom dancing. That was enough to know that getting out of step can result in some clumsy results.

December 9, 2021July 18, 2024

Sharing The Bike Lane With Walkers

Q: I live in an area where bikes lanes are present on both sides of the road, but there are no sidewalks. I was taught to always walk against car traffic. That also means walking against bike traffic. If I see a bike coming, I edge to my left to allow them to pass me on the right. I have had some experiences with bike riders not yielding any space, or worse, forcing me into the street. I have also seen a lot of walkers walking with traffic. What are the rules with regard to pedestrians and bicyclists using bike lanes in areas where there are no sidewalks? Also, what are the rules regarding pedestrian directionality with regard to traffic?

A: In the classic western movie High Noon, there’s an iconic scene moments before the villains arrive when Marshal Will Kane walks alone down the main street through Hadleyville, the sole person responsible for the safety of his town. Do you know which side of the road he walks down? It doesn’t matter, because the story takes place before cars and bicycles were invented. From a traffic safety perspective, we may long for those simpler times. In this modern era, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers sometimes share the same space, and there’s a clear imbalance in outcomes if it doesn’t all go well. Of course, in those simpler times we didn’t have penicillin and the average life expectancy was 42, so there are some tradeoffs.