December 2019 – The Wise Drive

December 22, 2019April 1, 2020

Cars vs. SUVs vs. Pedestrians

A few weeks ago I pointed out that overall traffic fatalities both in our state and nationally declined last year, but at the same time pedestrian and cyclist fatalities have increased. In Washington we’ve had an increase in pedestrian and cyclist-involved crashes, but even more concerning is that pedestrians are dying at a higher rate. In case you missed the previous column, here’s a quick refresher on the data: In 2013 we had 3118 crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists, resulting in 63 fatalities. Last year we had 3718 pedestrian/cyclist-involved crashes, resulting in 120 fatalities. That’s a 19 percent increase in crashes, but a 90 percent increase in fatalities.

I don’t have a good answer for why vehicle/pedestrian crashes have increased, but as I mentioned previously, there is some evidence for why the fatality rate has shot up. And right now I’m about to alienate about 43 percent of my audience. A big reason for the increase in pedestrian fatalities can be blamed on SUVs and pickups. Don’t take this personally; I’m not accusing owners of SUVs and pickups (or what the industry calls light trucks) of being worse drivers. Crash rates for SUVs and cars are about the same. The problem lies in what happens to a pedestrian in a crash.

December 15, 2019April 1, 2020

Do You Have a Gas Problem?

Q: It’s common now to see our Canadian friends gassing up their tanks, and then filling up multiple large plastic containers in the trunk. Is this safe? Is it even legal? Seems like it would be a real danger in the event of a serious rear-ender.

A: The answer to this question is way more technical than I anticipated, and to answer with confidence I’d need to be much more well-versed in hazardous materials than I currently am. With that disclaimer up front, I’ll give it my best shot. (And if any hazmat experts out there see something I missed or got wrong, let me know.) You asked if it is both safe and legal; those two answers are not necessarily the same.

December 8, 2019December 6, 2019

Friends Let Friends Crash on the Couch

In your lifetime you’ve probably heard “the man” tell you not to do a lot of things. Don’t litter, don’t talk during the movie, don’t feed the wildlife, don’t play with matches; you can come up with more, I’m sure. Yes, it’s all sound advice, but the best part of life isn’t in the not doing, but the doing. At most, the “don’t” messages are good but incomplete.

Around the holidays the message is often “don’t drink and drive” or “don’t drive high.” There’s a solid reason for that message; in Washington about half of all traffic fatalities involve an impaired driver, even though most people don’t do it. Possibly the most famous of the impairment “don’t” messages has been “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” Almost everyone agrees with that (as you’ll soon see in the data). But what does it look like to not do something? If we don’t let our friends drive impaired, what is it that we are doing?

December 1, 2019November 27, 2019

If They’re Both Wrong, What’s The Difference?

Q: In last week’s article you talked about some traffic violations being infractions and some being crimes. Both of them are still illegal, so what’s the difference? Why are there separate categories?

A: If you commit an infraction, you’re a scofflaw; if you commit a crime, you’re a criminal. That’s not really true. I just like the sound of “scofflaw” and wanted to use it. You’re right that both traffic infractions and traffic crimes are violations of the law, but there are some real differences, both in the consequences and in the court process. That’s because infractions, as civil violations, follow a different legal process than criminal violations.