The Wise Drive

April 8, 2021July 18, 2024

Delivery Trucks Parking in the Road

Q: We were following a delivery truck heading east on a county road. The driver stopped in the road, put his flashers on, and got out of the truck to deliver a package. We were close to a curve in the road and it was difficult to pass safely. On our way back a short time later he was parked in the westbound lane again blocking the road. Is this legal?

A: By the letter of the law, this is an easy answer. No, it’s not legal. The Revised Code of Washington states that “Outside of incorporated cities and towns no person may stop, park, or leave standing any vehicle, whether attended or unattended, upon the roadway.” There are a few exceptions, but none of them apply to delivery trucks. For the curious, here they are:

April 1, 2021July 18, 2024

Window Tint – Too Much Of A Good Thing

Q: I’m pretty sure that Washington has a regulation for how dark front passenger and driver side windows can be tinted. If so, why do I see so many vehicles with windows that are almost totally blacked out? Why is it not enforced since it is definitely a safety issue?

A: Window tinting is one of those cases where if a little is good, more is not better. And let me explain what I mean by “better.” People get their windows tinted for a variety of reasons, but when we’re talking about any modification to a vehicle, safety has to be the primary measurement determining what’s better. Dark windows might look more stylish, keep the interior of your car cooler when it’s parked in the sun, and increase privacy, but none of those things positively influence the core function of driving: getting safely to your destination.

March 25, 2021July 18, 2024

How Kids Can Help Improve Your Drive

What if I could guarantee you a 47 percent improvement in the quality of your daily commute? Yeah, I can’t do that, but it would be great if I could, right? That doesn’t mean there’s no hope for a better drive, especially if you’re a parent or you regularly have kids in the car with you. No, I’m not suggesting you leave them home 47 percent of the time.

My kids are adults now, but I still remember that not every drive with the kids was perfect. Sure, we had plenty of drives that involved singing songs together and talking about our day, but there were also the ones that involved lines like, “Dad, his hands are on my side of the seat. Make him stop!” Followed by, “No they’re not. I’m touching the center part. That’s no man’s land.” This inevitably resulted in both kids putting their hands in “no man’s land” and literal hand-to-hand combat.

March 18, 2021July 18, 2024

Parking: Backing in Versus Backing Out

Q: In a parking lot, I observed another driver stop and then back into a parking space. The driver behind him shook his fist because he had to wait. One organization for which I’m a volunteer driver recommends backing in because they say it’s safer to pull out of a space rather than backing out. What are your thoughts about heading in versus backing into a parking space?

A: Let’s start by acknowledging that backing up isn’t natural. For thousands of years we’ve walked forward. If we want to change directions we don’t walk backwards; we turn around. About the only time we walk backwards is when we get the bad end of the deal moving a couch. But in cars, we’re stuck with the design restraints and sometimes we have to back up. It’s less than ideal. Visibility is poor and, unless you’ve practiced a lot, maneuverability is, well, you’ve probably seen someone make nine consecutive attempts at parallel parking.

March 11, 2021July 18, 2024

The Speed Limit on a Freeway Ramp

Q: What is the speed limit on an on- ramp, and when and where does it change? Where I live there is a street that turns into an onramp. This street has a 30 mph speed limit on it. The highway has a 65mph speed limit on it. When and where does that 30 end and the 65 begin?

A: My instinct is to say that onramps are part of the freeway infrastructure and subject to the same speed limits. But once you asked the question I realized that I couldn’t provide you with a law that led me to that conclusion. After searching through state law, the Code of Federal Regulations and the US Department of Transportation’s Freeway Management and Operations Handbook, I still can’t provide a direct quote from the law. That’s not to say it’s not out there, but I haven’t found it yet.

March 4, 2021July 18, 2024

The Best Lane Position for Bicycles

Q: I was driving on a street that had no adjacent bicycle lane but instead had a bicycle symbol and arrows pointing in the direction of travel. A bicyclist pulled into the lane of traffic but instead of staying as far right, near parked cars, insisted on pedaling as near the center of the lane as possible at a leisurely pace, preventing following motor vehicles from passing him. I’m retired and wasn’t in a hurry but can imagine that people on an errand or in a rush might do something foolish and/or dangerous. Was the bicyclist correct or should he have been traveling more to the right-hand side of the lane?

A: To start with, let’s talk about those arrows with a bicycle symbol. They have a name. And maybe you know the name but couldn’t get yourself to put it in print. I don’t blame you. They’re called “sharrows.” It’s a portmanteau of share and arrow. Yeah, silly, like all those celebrity name mash-ups. But their purpose isn’t so silly; sharrows indicate to drivers and cyclists that the road is a preferred cycling route.

February 26, 2021July 18, 2024

A Visual Approach to Cycling Crash Data

February 25, 2021July 18, 2024

Traffic School and Your (Not-So-Good) Driving Record

Q. Will a driving course help eliminate a poor driving record in Washington?

A: Yes, but probably not in the way that you’re hoping for. Generally, once you already have a poor driving record it’s too late for a driving course to directly impact your record. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea. Now, if you’ve done something in the last fifteen days that will result in a future damaged driving record, you might have some options, which I’ll get to in a bit.

We often have a mindset that more experience makes you better. But that’s not always true. When I was a kid, I took a year of piano lessons, and I remember learning to play exactly one song. My lessons coincided with the release of Star Wars, and the only thing I wanted out of piano lessons was to play the Star Wars theme song. In the years that followed I continued to plink away at that one song, but didn’t learn another one.

February 18, 2021July 18, 2024

Skip The Scary Public Service Announcements

Q: If you want to stop driving drunk, or speeding, or texting and driving, or not wearing a seatbelt, why doesn’t the government make more videos like what I watched in driver’s ed? You know, the ones with the graphic car crashes. That’ll get their attention.

A: I’ve heard variations on this question from plenty of people, and while the motivation to improve driving behavior is commendable, the approach is misguided. You might be asking yourself, “But if the approach is misguided, then why did driver’s ed classes use them and why has the government made so many traffic safety commercials with car crashes?” The short answer is, we were wrong.

February 4, 2021July 18, 2024

Right-Of-Way And The Right Thing To Do

Q: At an intersection, where the flow of traffic in question does not have a stop sign, and there are several cars flowing through it, does a pedestrian have the right to step off the curb to cross as long as it does not cause an “immediate” hazard? Who has the right-of-way?

A: I’ll get to the actual answer in a moment, but I want to lead with this: Don’t hit the pedestrian. Yep, you already knew that, I know. My point here is that there is the right-of-way, and then there’s the right thing to do.

We often talk about who has the right-of-way, but that’s really a distortion of the language in our laws. The law doesn’t define who has the right-of-way; it states who must yield the right-of-way. Maybe that sounds like two different ways of saying the same thing, but there is a difference. Think of right-of-way as something floating out there in the universe that you can never take for yourself, but you’re free to give to someone else. Okay, now it sounds like I’m writing a new age self-help book. But the point still stands.