Month: January 2017

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What To Do If You Hit A Sign

Q: Say you slide off the road in ice and snow and you take out a directional traffic sign (curve sign.) I think it would be the right thing to do but it is necessary to report this? And, to whom?

A: I love that this question is posed as a hypothetical, but then includes such a specific detail as what type of traffic sign was (hypothetically) struck. It’s like when you go to the doctor with an embarrassing medical question and say, “Hey doc, I have this friend who was complaining of a burning sensation . . .” Maybe it really is a reader’s curiosity and the question just happened to come up during an icy stretch on our roads. Continue reading “What To Do If You Hit A Sign”

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Cycling and Texting – Legal, but Foolish

Q: I see bike riders, in traffic, riding with their cell phones up to their ear. Shouldn’t they have to follow the same no-cell-phone laws that vehicle drivers do?

A: “Should they” and “Are they required by law” are two different questions. Despite some drivers refusing to admit it, we have data to show that using a cell phone while driving increases the likelihood of a crash. Talking on a phone has similar crash rates to drivers with a .08 blood alcohol level. Texting while driving has crash rates more like a driver with a .20 blood alcohol level. Continue reading “Cycling and Texting – Legal, but Foolish”

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Watch Out For Flying Ice Chunks

Q: Driving on the freeway, my friend and I were following a semi that was divesting itself of its trailer top ice and snow load all over the road. Staying back for a few miles we decided it was done and okay to pass if we did so quickly – wrong. As we passed, the hood and windshield took a huge hit of slabs of snow/ice obscuring vision briefly. We truly thought it would come through the windshield. Fortunately nothing was damaged but our nerves. Is there a law about semi trucks and their trailer top loads of snow? Do we call 911 to report them? It seems incredibly dangerous!

A: You’re fortunate that the ice didn’t come through the windshield. A quick internet search will provide you with some examples of people who didn’t fare as well as you. Ice chunks flying off cars can be dangerous, and we are, as drivers, responsible for whatever falls or flies off our vehicles, whether we put it there or the weather did. Continue reading “Watch Out For Flying Ice Chunks”

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Bloody Idiots – PSA Campaign

This PSA comes from Australia, where they tend not to hold back on tragedy in their messaging. It’s part of the Bloody Idiot campaign from a few years ago, and is more tame than some of the others in the campaign (like this one). Not too long ago, I posted the “Bloody Legend” PSA; that one was from New Zealand. Noticing a “bloody” theme from the Australia/New Zealand contingent of traffic safety professionals. Don’t worry, this one doesn’t actually have any blood in it. (But it is sad.)

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Your Future Driver License

Q: I have a question about the legality of carrying a photo or digital copy of your drivers license, instead of carrying the physical card. Will the police accept the digital copy as proof of a valid license, or would you get a citation? It would be convenient to have a copy in the phone!

A: You can’t use digital a digital copy of your driver license yet, but you’re anticipating the near future. Digital ID has been a topic of conversation in licensing agencies across the country for a few years now, and soon several states may offer that option. For now, Washington is not one of those states. Iowa has been testing digital licenses with about 100 department of licensing employees, and the state hopes that the technology will be ready for full-scale adoption this year. In another project, the US Department of Commerce is partnering with Idaho, Maryland, Colorado and Washington, D.C. to launch a pilot for digital driver licenses. Continue reading “Your Future Driver License”