January 2022 – The Wise Drive

January 27, 2022January 31, 2022

Using Your Hazard Lamps (When You’re The Hazard)

Q: One time I helped a person drive home a car that could not achieve the speed limit. The road was two-lane and curved. I put on my emergency flashers, concerned that some speeding driver would come from behind. The only car around was a WSP trooper who pulled me over and made me turn off the emergency lights. I see slow-moving trucks with their emergency lights all the time. What gives?

A: Let’s acknowledge a couple things: the misuse of hazard lamps is not why we’re having more traffic crashes, and I can’t answer on behalf of the trooper that asked you to turn them off. But I think hazard lamp laws are fascinating. (That might be the first time anyone has written that sentence.) Note that I said “laws” plural. On its own, Washington’s law on hazard lamps is pretty ordinary. Where it gets interesting is when you start comparing laws around the country.

January 20, 2022January 19, 2022

Vehicle Paperwork – Safe Ways to Stay Legal

Q: We’ve had a lot of car break-ins in our area lately. An obvious course of action is not to leave valuables in the car. But what about paperwork like registration and proof of insurance? Removing documents every time you leave their vehicle seems like a recipe for an awkward moment when you forget them or someone else drives the vehicle. Do you recommend taking them or leaving them in the vehicle?

A: Yep, you’re supposed to have your registration and insurance documents in your vehicle when you drive, but the crime prevention folks will tell you it’s a bad idea to leave them there when you’re not with the car. What do you do when the crime prevention advice doesn’t quite sync up with the law?

January 13, 2022January 12, 2022

Frequency Illusions, Perception Gaps, and Safe Driving

Last week I mentioned something called a frequency illusion, and I accused it of contributing to negative driving behaviors. I feel I should explain. For those that missed it, a frequency illusion happens when something you just discovered starts showing up everywhere. Frequency illusion is often benign, like when you buy a car and then start noticing ever other driver with the same car, or when you discover a band and then start hearing their music everywhere. However, it can also shape our perceptions in ways that increase the risks we take.

As an example, on your commute you might notice a couple cars speed past you. Now that the speeders have your attention you notice them all, without noticing all the drivers who are respecting the speed limit (because they’re not passing you). You might start to think that most drivers speed (which speed studies consistently show to be untrue.) Here’s where the risk comes in: research shows that when a person believes that most other drivers engage in a high-risk behavior, they’re more likely to do it too.

January 6, 2022January 11, 2022

Too Far and Too Close – Stopping at Intersections

Q: As a driver coming from a different state, one of the first things I noticed here is that the cars seem so spread out at stop lights. I was taught to pull up fairly close to the vehicle in front of you to make room for other vehicles on the road. I’ve seen people leave one, two and even three car lengths between their car and the one in front of them. Is this courtesy not taught in driver education around here? The “big space” people block others from getting to a turn lane, block cars from entering the roadway and sometimes use up a good portion of a green light to get through an intersection.

A: Until I read your question, I hadn’t noticed this as a problem. And then, on my next drive, I saw someone leave what looked like three car lengths between themselves and the car in front of them at a traffic light. Had I been overlooking a wide-reaching issue that’s been right in front of me? Probably not. More likely, I just experienced a frequency illusion; when something you just discovered suddenly starts showing up everywhere. While mostly benign, frequency illusions can influence traffic safety, and not in a good way. But that’s a topic for another article.