The Wise Drive

December 23, 2020July 18, 2024

Saving Pedestrians With Your Headlights

Q: I’m concerned about pedestrians getting killed on the road. I think the lack of use of high beam lights is likely the cause of the drivers not seeing the pedestrians. I have a problem for you to solve. How far do typical low beam lights light the road ahead and how long does it take the average driver to stop their car traveling at 50 mph? Could these lives have been spared had the drivers just used their high beam lights?

A: Having just experienced the darkest day of the year (we always call it the shortest day, but it’s still 24 hours long so that’s not really accurate is it?) it seems appropriate to talk about headlights. With over 15 hours of darkness in every day this week, there’s a good chance that some of your driving will be in the dark.

December 17, 2020July 18, 2024

Solutions to Speeding

Q: How do we get semis to slow down on the freeway? I was going 69 mph on the freeway and one passed me.

A: I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you were in a 70 mph zone when this happened because I want to believe the best of the people who send me questions. But at the same time, I’m not entirely confident that I’m right, because I’ve had a number (not too big a number, but a big enough number) of people admit to me that they’re speeding while asking what’s going to be done to stop the people speeding even faster. It brings to mind the quote by George Carlin: “Anyone that’s driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone driving faster than you is a maniac.”

December 10, 2020July 18, 2024

Getting a DUI for Talking on Your Phone?

Q: Is it true you can get a DUI for texting or talking on your phone while driving? I’ve heard that people have gotten arrested for it, and that doesn’t seem right.

A: In 2017 Washington legislators overhauled our distracted driving law which, despite being only being ten years old, was already obsolete. Actually, it was obsolete within weeks of being passed. Back in 2007, when our first distracted driving law was written, it prohibited holding the phone to your ear to talk and sending text messages. That seemed reasonable at the time because the only thing you could do with a cell phone was call and text. That all changed with the launch of the iPhone, which came out in, you guessed it, 2007.

December 3, 2020July 18, 2024

If It Melts Ice, It Probably Rusts Your Car

Q: What kind of substance is applied to the local roads during freezing weather? Is the liquid mixture salt or something else? What kind of damage can it cause to cars?

A: Rust. That’s the one word answer. As to what the substance is, that answer is more complicated. But rather than turn this into a chemistry lesson, let’s take a short trip back in time, to the Great Seattle Salt Debate of 2008.

Maybe you remember; the city of Seattle had decided to abandon salt as a treatment for icy and snowy roads, committing instead to using sand. And then the city was hit by the biggest snowfall in a decade. Many roads were impassable, leading to a collision that made international news when two buses full of students slid down a hill and crashed through a concrete barricade, the front quarter of one bus dangling over I-5 thirty feet below. (By magic, luck, physics or divine intervention there were no serious injuries.) In the aftermath, the city switched back to using salt, or other salt-ish chemicals. Some folks speculate that the mayor’s no-salt stance cost him the next election.

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 15, 2020July 18, 2024

World Day of Remembrance 2020

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year.

It is a high-profile global event to remember the many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families and communities – millions added each year to countless millions already suffering: a truly tremendous cumulative toll.

This Day has also become an important tool for governments and all those whose work involves crash prevention or response to the aftermath of crashes, since it offers the opportunity to demonstrate the enormous scale and impact of road deaths and injuries, call for an end to the often trivial and inappropriate response to road death and injury and advocate for urgent concerted action to stop the carnage.

On World Day we too pay tribute to the dedicated emergency crews, police and medical professionals, who deal daily with the traumatic aftermath of road crashes.

For the past several years in Whatcom County, we’ve held a World Day of Remembrance ceremony. This year, because of COVID-19, we were unable to gather together. Still, we want to remember those who have been killed in traffic crashes and honor the emergency workers who are called upon to respond. This video captures the words and actions of leaders and responders in our community:

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.