The Wise Drive

Q: There’s a short stretch of road I travel frequently that is reduced to one lane because part of the road fell into the ocean during a storm. There are stop signs on either end of the one-lane road. Most of the time drivers alternate one car in each direction, but sometimes when several cars are lined up on one end, they’ll all go through at once. Shouldn’t we be alternating? What does the law say?

A: The law says a lot of things about a lot of things, but not much about this. I might even be underselling how little the law addresses this situation. I can’t find any law in the Revised Code of Washington specific to your question. Maybe that’s not surprising. We don’t typically build one-lane roads and expect traffic from both directions. This scenario seems limited to unexpected road failures, construction zones, and one-lane bridges in rural areas.

Continue reading “Right-of-Way on One-Lane Roads”

Q: I’ve noticed a proliferation of children riding small (but loud!) motorcycles around the neighborhood. Usually up and down the same street until presumably either their fuel runs out or their mother calls them in for dinner. Sometimes they have helmets, sometimes not. What does the law say about this kind of activity?

A: If I were twelve years old and had access to a pocket bike, I’d definitely want to ride it on the road. Twelve-year-old boys are kind of dumb that way. So parents, this one’s on you, both legally and as the responsible adult.

Continue reading “Little Motorcycles and Little Humans”

Q: Do you need to come to a complete stop before turning right at an intersection when the light is red, if the red traffic signal is located across the intersecting street for vehicles proceeding through the intersection? In other words, do you have to stop before turning right only if the traffic signal light is on the right curb of the right turn lane?

A: The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), the official guide book for traffic road signs, markings, and signals, devotes 70 pages to traffic control signals and how they’re configured. It includes over one hundred charts, graphs, and diagrams showing the various approved methods for using traffic control signals. None of them match what you’ve described.

Continue reading “Red Still Means Stop”

Q: I saw that there was a bill about low rolling resistance tires being required in Washington. I didn’t even know that was a thing. It looks like they’re good for gas mileage but maybe not as good for traction. Is it a good move to require tires that might not be as safe?

A: I have a friend who likes to run. And once she found her perfect shoe, she never deviated. When she worried that the shoe might get discontinued, she stocked up on multiple pairs.

Maybe some drivers feel the same way about their tires and would be heartbroken to know that the factory-installed BF Goodrich All-Terrains on their Hummer H2 don’t make the efficiency cut. For the rest of us, if this bill had passed (and it didn’t this year) it would likely have minimal impact on our lives.

Continue reading “Low Rolling Resistance Tires Are Not the Law (Yet)”

Q: I don’t know what the Washington State law is, but I watched a police program, state and city unknown, that said a child of six years old can be left unattended in a locked car if not more than 15 minutes. Is that true? 

A: The rules vary from state to state, but it certainly wasn’t Washington. Our state doesn’t have a broad prohibition on leaving kids unattended in cars. Yes, you read that right. We have a couple laws for limited situations, and I’ll get to the details of those shortly, but if you’re not going to a bar or leaving the engine running, (and it feels uncomfortable to write this) it’s currently legal.

Continue reading “Leaving Kids Alone in Cars”

Q: Has road striping paint changed? When I’m driving at night and in the rain it’s tough to see the lines. It doesn’t seem as reflective as it used to be.

A: You’re probably not looking for a history lesson on road paint, but it’s a cute story so I’m going to tell it. In 1911 Edward Hines was following a milk truck down the road as the truck leaked milk from its cargo hold. The stripe of white milk in the middle of the road inspired Hines, a member of the Wayne County Road Commission in Michigan, to paint centerlines in Wayne County to separate two-way traffic. The folks in Michigan call it the most important traffic safety device in the history of auto transportation. The rest of us think the seat belt claims that title, but it’s still a great idea.

Continue reading “Worn-Out Road Stripes”

Q: I know it’s not legal to drive with an open alcohol container in the car, but is it legal for a driver to drink alcohol in a parked car? Assuming the driver doesn’t drink enough to be impaired, have they broken the law?

A: Before I tackle the question about the law, I’d like to clear something up. There isn’t an okay amount of alcohol in your system when driving. Washington’s per se law sets the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at .08, but a driver can be affected by alcohol at well below that limit. And impairment begins earlier than you might think.

Continue reading “Drinking in a Parked Car”

Q: When two cars are at stop signs that face each other and have a road going between them that doesn’t stop, does a car going straight have the right-of-way, even if they come to the stop sign after the left-turning car?

A: What if I said nobody has the right-of-way? It’s sort of a trick answer, but it’s also sort of true. The law doesn’t give people the right-of-way; it tells you who is required to yield the right-of-way. It might sound like the same thing, but it matters as a point of driver responsibility. Assuming you have the right-of-way can get you into trouble, even if the other person should have yielded.

Continue reading “Left Turns and Right-of-Way”

This week, instead of answering one of your questions, I have a question for you. But first, I need you on my side. You’re likely familiar with the following quote, sometimes apocryphally credited to Abraham Lincoln: “My right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins.” There’s a 150-plus history of Americans agreeing with that sentiment, so if that doesn’t ring true for you, you’re the outlier.

Of course, it’s a metaphor, and it’s been applied to many situations besides fists and noses, including arguments against slavery, bars in neighborhoods, and smoking in public. It’s also an argument in favor of a person’s right to do whatever they’d like as long as it doesn’t harm someone else.

Continue reading “Can We Actually Stop (Some) Dangerous Driving?”