The Wise Drive

June 23, 2022July 18, 2024

Stopping For Pedestrians

Q: What is the law for how long you are supposed to stay stopped when someone in a crosswalk has passed in front of you and is near the sidewalk on the other side of the street? I asked this because almost daily I will be behind a car that waits until the person is on the sidewalk on the other side.

A: When I first read your question I assumed that the car you’re behind almost daily is some random different driver each time. When I read it again, I wondered if you’re actually stuck behind the same driver; maybe you both have the same route on your morning commute, and you’re continually in the same situation with the same person. (Now I’m imagining that it’s the same pedestrian too. How far can I take this?) If that’s the case, you could avoid the whole situation by leaving for work a minute earlier, but that wouldn’t solve the underlying question, would it?

June 16, 2022July 18, 2024

On The Verge Of A Merge

Q: Recently I was merging onto the freeway, and as I got up to freeway speed on the onramp I found myself next to a car already on the freeway going about the same speed as me. I slowed down to merge behind the car, but that driver slowed down to be kind and let me merge in front. Of course, that doesn’t work well, but it got me wondering who is supposed to do what in that situation.

A: This isn’t the only question about freeway merging that I’ve received. But it’s the nicest. Others blamed poor merging on millennials, political correctness, hostility, and incompetence. I like that you’ve attributed the problem (at least in this case) to kindness.

June 9, 2022July 18, 2024

U-Turns: Be Careful Where You Attempt Them

Q: At some intersections, and even some mid-block locations, I see no U-turn signs. I thought U-turns were generally illegal, especially mid-block. If that’s true, then why post no U-turn signs?

A: I once saw a bumper sticker that said, “God allows U-turns.” Either that’s a metaphor or God hasn’t gotten through to the law makers in some cities and states. Here in Washington, that bumper sticker and our state law are closely aligned, but that’s not the case in our neighbor state to the south (or some cities in our state).

If you’re an Oregonian visiting Washington, you might think we have a bunch of scofflaws making U-turns wherever we please. And if you’re a Washingtonian visiting Oregon, you might get surprised by a ticket for what you thought was a perfectly legal U-turn.

June 2, 2022July 18, 2024

National Secure Your Load Day

June 6^th is National Yo-Yo Day. When I was eleven I became obsessed with yo-yos. But when you get older you realize you can have a yo-yo, and you can have a girlfriend, but you can’t have both at the same time. You’re probably wondering about a connection between yo-yos and traffic safety. June 6^th is not only National Yo-Yo Day; it’s also national Secure Your Load Day.

Do we really need a day dedicated to securing your load? A better question would be, do we really need National Yo-Yo Day or Applesauce Cake Day (also on June 6^th)? Yo-yos and applesauce cake are kind of silly things to celebrate, but making sure that whatever you have in your pickup bed or trailer is properly strapped down and secure can save a life.

May 26, 2022July 18, 2024

Seat Belts For Dogs

Q: Why is it that adults and kids all have to wear seat belts, but dogs can roam around in a car? Shouldn’t there be a seat belt law for dogs?

A: The only law I’m aware of that specifically requires a dog to be restrained pertains to animals being transported on the “outside part of any vehicle.” It states that animals must be harnessed or in an enclosure. The law, which dates back to at least 1927, was originally in a group of laws about driving livestock to market (cattle had the right of way), pasturing and camping with livestock along the highway (you had to have enough herders to keep the road available for cars) and how to pass a person riding, leading, or driving an animal in the opposite direction (stop to let them pass, and shut off your engine if it scares the animal.) The law was primarily intended for transporting livestock, but we’ve also applied it to dogs in pickup beds.

May 19, 2022July 18, 2024

Window Tint, Oversized Tires, and Dumb Sunglasses

Q: Two questions: Is it illegal to have darkened forward windows in a car? Is it illegal to have oversized tires on a pickup truck such that the tires extend wider than the truck body? I see a lot of these situations and I wonder if they are illegal, and if so, why there isn’t more enforcement. Both situations are dangerous for pedestrians; also, the dark windows make coordinating between drivers difficult.

A: Two answers: sometimes and yes. But you actually asked three questions and your third one is the trickiest. So of course, I’ll start with the easy ones. Window tint and oversized tires have something in common – drivers often make those modifications, at least partly, for style. (If you own a pickup with enormous tires and it’s never been off pavement, I’m talking about you.)

May 12, 2022July 18, 2024

It’s Never Too Slow For A Seat Belt

Q: Is there a speed at which wearing a seat belt isn’t important because I’m going slow enough to where I won’t get hurt?

A: I’m pretty sure that if I answered this question with an actual number there would be people out there who treat it as a rule: “Oh, I don’t put on my seat belt until I’m going at least 13 mph.” You might think I’m joking, but there’s actual data to (sort of) support the idea. Every year the Washington Traffic Safety Commission conducts a seat belt use observation survey. Yep, it’s just what it sounds like. Observers count how many people wear their seat belts, using enough locations and vehicles to get an accurate representation of seat belt use statewide. According to the most recent survey, 94 percent of vehicle occupants in Washington wear a seatbelt, and it’s been at roughly that level since the early 2000s.

How is this relevant? The survey also tracks seat belt use based on road type. The rate on state routes (with generally higher speed limits) is about 95 percent while the rate on city streets (read slower speed limits) is at about 90 percent. County roads fall in between. It seems that some people are, consciously or not, adjusting their seat belt use to the speed of their driving.

May 5, 2022July 18, 2024

Yielding at Stop Signs and Getting Stuck at Intersections

Q: Can you explain the new safety stop law for bikes? Also, what are bike riders supposed to do if they’re at a traffic signal and the sensor in the pavement doesn’t ever notice that the bike is there?

A: Based on email I’ve received and conversations I’ve had, it seems there’s some confusion about a relatively new law. A year and a half ago, Washington’s law permitting cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs took effect. It’s commonly called the Idaho stop (Idaho was the first state to pass the law, in 1982), the Delaware yield (the second state, in 2017), or the safety stop. If you’re a cyclist and you think this law gives you permission to blow through stop signs, that’s ridiculous, it doesn’t. If you’re a driver and you’re mad that the law let’s cyclists blow through stop signs, relax, it doesn’t.

April 28, 2022July 18, 2024

Wheeled All-Terrain Vehicles on Public Roads

Q: Occasionally I see a larger off-road vehicle cruising through my neighborhood and recently I saw one being driven on State Route 509. It appeared to have a motorcycle sized license plate attached. In and of itself it doesn’t bother me but I noticed that these vehicles have no fenders or any way to stop rocks from being flung back into any vehicles that may be following. Are ORVs legal for street use in Washington?

A: This question might seem like it deserves a simple yes or no, but once we dig in you’ll see that it has more layers than a Dagwood Bumstead sandwich. The laws that allow off-road vehicles, or as they’re called in the law, wheeled all-terrain vehicles, to drive on public roads have changed a few times in recent years, so let’s take a look at the current situation. If you think that sentence just gave away the answer to whether they’re legal or not, you’re only about half right.

April 21, 2022July 18, 2024

Motorhome: Is It A Truck Or A Car?

Q: When we drive our 45-foot motorhome on the freeway, are we supposed to be going the car speed limit or the truck speed limit?

A: The truck speed limit sign is a little misleading; or if not misleading, at least incomplete. Of course, it’s impossible to put the full RCW up on a street sign so I suppose it’s the best option we’ve got. When you see a speed limit sign that says, “Speed Limit 70, Trucks 60,” the word “trucks” is a stand-in for more than just trucks.