Everything Traffic Safety
Q: My daughter just got her driver’s permit and I’m freaking out. I feel like we’re going to die every time she gets behind the wheel. What should I do?
Continue reading “New Driver in the Family? Don’t Freak Out”
This isn’t actually a PSA; it’s a criticism of a car advertisement. I didn’t want to give any attention to a car company that tacitly endorses high-risk driving behavior in their advertising, but I can’t help it; this needs to be called out. The purpose of features like lane departure notification aren’t so that you can take more dumb risks while you’re driving; they’re there to protect us from our own inevitable human failures even when we are trying to pay attention.
Q: I’ve been noticing in the last couple years that more and more adults and kids are riding their bicycles toward traffic. I thought the rule is that a bicycle should be riding in the right lane with the flow of traffic. Is that correct?
Continue reading “Riding Bikes Against Traffic Is A Bears Vs. Sharks Problem”
Q: I recently rode on a Washington State ferry and noticed that they sell alcohol on the ferries. At first I didn’t think anything of it, until I realized that except for the walk-aboards, everyone else has to drive to get off the ferry. Why does the state sell alcohol to people they know have to drive right after drinking?
Q: Is it legal to ride an electric scooter or an electric skateboard in a bike lane? Some of them can go 20 mph, so it seems like it would be dangerous to ride them on sidewalks around people.
Continue reading “Electric Scooters And Skateboards – Where Should They Ride?”
Q: Is it illegal to obstruct the view of the driver out the side windows? On my bicycle I have been nearly hit more than once by mail delivery drivers. They have right hand drive and stack mail on a shelf opposite them blocking their view out the left window. When they are making a right turn they can’t see me on my bike and pull out in front of me. If not illegal it’s dangerous.
This coming week, our local law enforcement agencies will be conducting speed patrols focusing on the routes that kids and families take to get to and from school. Here’s a PSA for the event made locally with some kids in my neighborhood:
Q: Over mountain passes and other highways, drivers encounter a sign stating “Delay of 5 vehicles Illegal Must Use Turnouts”. This relates to the law that requires slow-moving vehicles to pull off roadway. The law states a vehicle must pull off to let others proceed if the slow-moving vehicle is traveling at “a rate of speed less than the normal flow of traffic at the particular time and place”. This implies that the slow-moving vehicle could be traveling the speed limit and still be required to let others pass, thereby enabling others to drive above the speed limit and break the law. I understand normal citizens are not to enforce traffic law but I thought it odd there is a law designed to allow others to potentially break the law. What is your interpretation?
Continue reading “Does The Law Allow Speeding? No (Well, Maybe A Little)”
Q: I know we should always wear our seatbelts, so what should we do if there are more people in a car than seatbelts? Is it a good idea to buddy buckle?
Q: Would you please explain the reason why the right turn onto the freeway on-ramp must yield to the left turning vehicle? Example: Bakerview and I-5 southbound on-ramp.