Everything Traffic Safety
Q: How much does a speeding ticket affect your car insurance?
A: Is it safe to assume that when someone asks this question,
there is a precipitating event that prompted it? I know a writer is supposed to
wait until the end for the big reveal, but I’m going to put it up front: The
fine from a speeding ticket is the cheap part of the equation.
Q: I know some other states, as well as British Columbia, use DUI checkpoints to catch drunk drivers. I’ve never seen them in Washington. Why not?
A: The answer you’ll most often hear as to why Washington doesn’t use DUI checkpoints (also called sobriety checkpoints) is that they’re unconstitutional. And that’s almost true. However, that’s not the whole story. I should first clarify that when we talk about DUI checkpoints being unconstitutional, we’re referring to the Washington State constitution. The US constitution doesn’t prohibit DUI checkpoints, unless you’re in Texas, where they prohibit checkpoints based on their interpretation of the US constitution. Some states have laws authorizing the use of DUI checkpoints, while others have no explicit statutory authority either endorsing or prohibiting them. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia use DUI checkpoints.
Q: Is it okay for a cyclist to ride right on the edge of the bike lane although they have the whole bike lane to ride in? I understand that they might have to move for a second to either go around junk or glass in the bike lane but staying on the line is the question.
A: I’m going to take the liberty of interpreting your word “okay” several different ways. You might be able to come up with more meanings, but I came up with these: “Is it okay?” could mean “Is it legal?”, “Is it culturally acceptable?” and “Is it safe?” Let’s try to answer all three.
Continue reading “How To Be In The Bike Lane (Or Any Other Lane)”
September is National Child Passenger Safety
Month. It’s also National Chicken Month, International Update Your Resume
Month, National Piano Month, and about thirty-five other reasons to celebrate.
Even the blueberry popsicle declares September as its month. And don’t get
started on specific weeks and days. Cheese, skyscrapers and telephones all have
their own day. Add them all up and September has 130 supposed holidays. Some of
these are patently ridiculous – National Meow Like a Pirate Day? What? That
doesn’t even make sense. But if you have kids, care for kids, like kids or even
just begrudgingly admit that they are our future, this month has an important
message. Plus it’s a good time to address changes to the law.
Q: What is the correct hand signal for
a right turn when riding a bike? Do you extend your left hand up or your right
hand out?
A: Yes. At least according to the
law. But before we get to that, let’s agree that signaling, no matter how you
do it, whether you’re on a bike or in a car, is one of the bare minimum
behaviors that we commit to practice when we’re on the road. If you’re not
signaling, you’ve not only violated the written law; you’ve also violated the
unwritten rules that define how other drivers will feel about you as a fellow human.
Signals help other drivers understand our intentions, making driving more
predictable and safe. Not making the effort to push on that little lever on
your steering column or extend an arm is essentially like telling everyone else
on the road that you think you’re too special to play by the rules. Okay,
enough preaching. Back to the question.
Q: Might you know if there is a state
law regarding driving after having a stroke? Is there a restriction on a driver
license for a period of time after having a stroke?
A: This is a tricky one. You’ll
understand why at the end. I don’t know of any law that specifically prohibits
a person who has had a stroke from driving. That make sense; strokes come in
many varieties and not all of them affect a person’s ability to drive. So let’s
make the question broader. If you experience a health event that negatively affects
your driving, are you still allowed to drive? There are two parts to this
answer: what the law says about your own driving, and what the law gives the
Department of Licensing (DOL) authority to do.
Q: I’ve received a few questions about stopping for school buses in various non-traditional scenarios, like these: Do I have to stop for a school bus pulling out of a parking lot when I am driving on the road? What do I do if a school bus puts its stop paddle out at an intersection when I have a green light?
A: We’ve covered the basics of when to stop for a school bus in a previous article, so if you’re in need of a refresher you can find here with the clever title, “When to Stop for a School Bus.” But not every scenario matches the basic descriptions found there, so let’s dig into some core principles of school bus laws.
I’ll begin with the first sentence of the law on encountering school buses: “The driver of a vehicle upon overtaking or meeting from either direction any school bus which has stopped on the roadway for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school children shall stop the vehicle before reaching such school bus . . .” and goes on to say it applies when the red lights are blinking and the stop sign is extended. That’s the default – you have to stop when a school bus is picking up or dropping off kids. The next few sentences provide a limited list of scenarios where drivers don’t have to stop, but mostly, if you encounter a school bus loading or unloading kids, you have to stop.
Continue reading “More of When to Stop for a School Bus”
Many times I’ve referenced data showing that more than half of all traffic fatalities in Washington involve an impaired driver. When stated without more context, it’s easy to reach a false conclusion about impaired driving, and here’s the myth: If half of all fatal crashes involve impairment, lots of people must be driving impaired. In reality, few people drive impaired, and a recent survey of Washington drivers confirms it.
Continue reading “Cannabis Won’t Make You More Sober (Yep, Some People Think That)”
Q: I thought there was a rule that required
people to park at least 20 feet from stop signs, but I often see cars parked
much closer. Is there limit on how close you can park? If there is, how far
away is it?
A: There is a limit. In fact, there are lots of
limits around parking. Some of them just help the world spin smoother (like not
parking in a loading zone), but most of them have an actual safety function. Before
we get into the details though, let’s take care of some terminology. The law
that includes parking near a stop sign is called, “Stopping,
standing, or parking prohibited in specified places – reserving portion of
highway prohibited.” Within the law, the terms “stopping”, “standing” and “parking”
each have a specific meaning.
Q: I thought it was legal to ride my bike on the
freeway, but I don’t ever see people doing it. Can I ride on the freeway, and
if I can, is there some reason nobody does it?
A: Back when I was 15, there was a girl I liked
that lived about 15 miles away from me. Not having a driver license, I hoped on
my bike and rode to her house on a route that included a five mile stretch of
I-5. A few months later I got my driver license, and that was the last time I
rode my bike on the freeway. Until now. To properly answer this question I had
to do some research, so I grabbed my bike for a round trip between Blaine and
Bellingham on I-5. How’s that for commitment to your questions?