As part of our Travel With Care traffic safety project, lots of people in our community have made commitments to being safer road users. Here’s one from Emily:
Travel With Care – Emily
Passing Transit Buses
Q: I was driving on a two-lane road and stopped behind a WTA bus that was at a bus stop waiting for a passenger walking fast to catch the bus. A vehicle came up behind me, waited for about 5 seconds, and then passed my car and the bus using the oncoming traffic lane. Was that legal?
Schizophrenic Cyclists
Q: It’s my understanding that if a bicyclist rides on the sidewalk, he should use the pedestrian crossing and should get off the bike in order to cross the street. Am I wrong?
Daylight Saving – The Next Traffic Disaster?
This week’s column isn’t prompted by a question; instead, it’s inspired by the calendar. If you’ve followed this column on a semi-regular basis you may have noticed that the topics sometimes correspond to events and seasons – rules about school buses at the start of the school year, impaired driving during the holidays – those sort of things. But what event is coming up next weekend that could possibly have a tie to traffic safety? There isn’t holiday, a change of season, or some other community-wide festival. But there is something to be aware of: Daylight saving.
Continue reading “Daylight Saving – The Next Traffic Disaster?”
Traffic is Poetry – Turn Signals
Okay. This isn’t exactly a PSA. But I think the message will resonate with a lot of people, given how many emails I get about people failing to use their turn signals. Also, how often do you get to hear a traffic safety message in the form of a poem? Maybe you can share this with someone who could use a reminder.
Headlights Aren’t Just For The Dark
Q: I am concerned about the significant number of drivers I see on our roads that do not turn on their headlights at dusk or when visibility is poor during the day light hours. Many drivers seem to refuse to turn on their headlights when there is fog, drizzle, or other poor lighting. I’m sure they think that they can see just fine, but often I don’t see them until they have gone by in the oncoming lane. It seems to me that if drivers had their headlights on at all times (night and day) we might have fewer accidents during poor visibility conditions. What is the law on this? Continue reading “Headlights Aren’t Just For The Dark”
How to Respond to a Yellow Light That Flashes You
Q: I have a question about the lights on Bakerview Road at south-bound I-5 exit 258. When you are in the left turn lane there is a flashing yellow arrow that comes on, then it turns to solid yellow. I have stopped on the yellow arrow, both when it is flashing and/or solid and there are a lot of people who go through on it. The other day I got there just after the signal had changed to red, then while I was waiting for the green arrow the light changed to the flashing yellow arrow again. What should a person do? Continue reading “How to Respond to a Yellow Light That Flashes You”
Tailgating – How Close is Too Close?
Q: Is it just me, or is there is a tailgating epidemic happening in Whatcom County? It seems like it’s happening all the time. Why aren’t the cops enforcing it? Continue reading “Tailgating – How Close is Too Close?”
This Is Your Fault
I was talking with a friend and traffic safety colleague recently, and we got into the topic of fault and responsibility in crashes. It seems like we’re often willing to blame a problem with the car’s manufacturer, the road conditions, or the weather, but we have a hard time admitting that we’re the problem. It shouldn’t be so hard for us to admit – 94% of crashes are caused by human error – we should be used to identifying ourselves as the cause of crashes. I suspect that it’s because once we recognize that our mistakes are the common denominator in nearly every crash we’ll actually have to change our driving behavior. Continue reading “This Is Your Fault”
Mini Bikes – Problem or Possibility?
Q: I invested in a mini bike and cops keep telling me that I can’t ride it in the bike lane, but it doesn’t go fast enough to be street legal. What do I do? This is the only way I have to get around. Continue reading “Mini Bikes – Problem or Possibility?”