Author: DOUG DAHL

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Traffic Control for Private Organizations

Q: Is it legal for a rent-a-cop to stop traffic on Northwest Road to allow the cars from that big box church to enter Northwest? Just last Sunday, I was stopped to allow two cars to enter the road.

A: First of all, when you used the term “rent-a-cop” I’ll assume you meant “fully commissioned law enforcement officer hired by a private entity for traffic control.” Businesses and organizations often hire law enforcement to provide traffic control services for a limited duration. Marathon organizers hire law enforcement to direct traffic around the running course. House movers hire officers to block intersections as the house moves along its route. In the situation you described, the church generates enough traffic on Sunday morning that it needs traffic control to allow drivers to safely enter the street. If that level of traffic occurred throughout the day, all week long, a permanent traffic signal would be appropriate, but since it’s only for a few hours a week, the church hires a deputy to manage the traffic. Continue reading “Traffic Control for Private Organizations”

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Tunnels and Sunglasses

Q: As an eyesight-challenged person, my license requires that I wear corrective lenses. I have either my prescription glasses or sunglasses at all times. Recently I was driving on one of the few gorgeous sunny March days, and I came through a tunnel. A sign read “No Sunglasses”. It seemed like the lesser of three evils to wear the sunglasses. I could A) keep wearing my sunglasses, B) search for my glasses which would distract me from driving or C) take them off and not be able to see at all. My question is did I do what is right/legal?

A: Your question is actually two questions in one: “Is it right?” and “Is it legal?” The legal one is the easiest to answer, so let’s start there. Continue reading “Tunnels and Sunglasses”

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Pets on Laps and Negligent Driving

Q: Is it illegal to drive with a pet on your lap?

A: Maybe I should first ask what kind of pet. Are we talking about a sleeping kitten or a Bernese mountain dog that wants a walk? Washington doesn’t have a law that specifically prohibits someone from driving with a pet on his or her lap. I thought maybe I could stretch the “embracing another while driving” law to include pets, but it refers specifically to “another person.” Instead of a pet-specific law, we have a negligent driving law. The negligent driving (second degree) law is the state’s way of saying, “Don’t do dumb stuff while you’re driving.” Continue reading “Pets on Laps and Negligent Driving”

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How to Use a Two-Way Left Turn Lane

Q: I recently was waiting in traffic heading west on Barkley Boulevard just before the intersection with Racine Street. I planned to turn left on Orleans and had my left turn indicator on. Three drivers behind me moved into the center turn lane and quickly drove the distance to get the left turn light on Orleans. How soon can one use the center lane to move forward in order to catch the left turn lane?

A: I’m confident that you are not alone in wondering about this situation. While your question stems from an experience at a specific location, your concern applies to many intersections in our region.At peak traffic times, cars may back up for several blocks in busy areas. And for drivers intending to take a left turn, that center turn lane looks pretty tempting, even a few blocks away from the intersection. Before we get too far, I want to point out for readers unfamiliar with the location described in the question that this driver will have to drive through three intersections prior to making that left turn at Orleans. Continue reading “How to Use a Two-Way Left Turn Lane”

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Why Are Seat Belts Mandatory?

Q: Why are seat belts mandatory when it affects only the person who chooses not to wear it? I’ve heard of people who survived crashes by being thrown from the car while the passenger using the seat belt died. Or people who drown because they crash into water and can’t get their seat belt off. I think I should be able to make my own personal safety decisions.

A: Where do I start? Let’s take a look at the numbers. Last year 567 people were killed in traffic crashes in Washington. Of those who died, 113 were not using a seat belt.

Right now some of you who just read that are thinking, “If 80 percent of the people who died in car crashes were wearing seat belts, doesn’t that mean not wearing a seat belt is five times safer than wearing one?” Nope, and here’s why: About 95 percent of all drivers in Washington wear a seat belt, leaving 5 percent as non-users. Those non-users make up 20 percent of traffic fatalities. Continue reading “Why Are Seat Belts Mandatory?”

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Who Sets The Speed Limits?

Q: Who sets speed limits and how are they decided?

A: Should we start with the science or the politics? Let’s start with politics, since that gets us on track to answer the first part of the question. Because speed limits are enforceable laws, they are set by elected officials. At the state level, RCW 46.61.400 defines the speed limits for city streets at 25 MPH, county roads at 50 MPH and freeways at 60 MPH. However, the next few sections of the RCW specify situations where state and local officials can adjust speed limits as appropriate. In Whatcom County, for example, our statutory speed on county roads is 35 MPH. For our local roads, the elected officials with authority to change speed limits are the members of a city or county council, which, if I recall correctly from my high school civics class, make up the legislative branch of our local government. I just point this out for the folks who feel the need to criticize a speed limit during the issuance of a speeding ticket. The police are part of the executive branch; they enforce the laws, but they don’t get to make them. As part of the issuance of the ticket, the officer will give the offender an opportunity have a day in court, our judicial branch, and tadaa! We’ve included all three branches of government in this article. Continue reading “Who Sets The Speed Limits?”

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Left Turns and Traffic Jams

Q: Did something change for left hand turners at a signal? I have noticed that a growing number of drivers in Bellingham have decided that pulling into the intersection at a traffic light when turning left is no longer a practice. These drivers are waiting behind the line and then right as the signal is turning from yellow to red make the left turn. What’s up with this?

A: In heavy traffic, trying to make a left turn can result in a lot of frustration. However, pulling into the intersection and waiting for an opportunity to turn is a less-than-ideal solution to a congested traffic problem. Whether it’s a legal solution depends on your interpretation of the law. RCW 46.61.202, edited for brevity, states, “No driver shall enter an intersection unless there is sufficient space on the other side to accommodate the vehicle he or she is operating without obstructing the passage of other vehicles.” We can clearly understand that this law applies when driving straight into an intersection, where backed up cars in congested traffic prevent a driver from making it all the way through. But does it apply to making a left turn? Here’s how the Department of Licensing interprets the law in the Driver Guide : “Drivers must not enter an intersection unless they can get through it without having to stop.” That would seem to mean that even for left turns you shouldn’t pull into the intersection and wait for a gap. But then is goes on to say, “You should wait until traffic ahead clears so you are not blocking the intersection.” Are they only referring to going straight or does this include left turns? Referring again to the RCW, in the section on traffic signals, the law states that on a green light, a driver turning left “shall stop to allow other vehicles lawfully within the intersection to complete their movements.” It doesn’t specify that the driver must stop at the stop line, but I think it would be reasonable to reach that conclusion. Finally, let’s consider how driving instructors teach their students. In a conversation with a local instructor, he said that he and the other instructors he works with teach their driving students only to pull into the intersection to make a left turn if there is a clear path all the way through the intersection. Otherwise, students are directed to wait at the stop line until the road is clear to make a left turn.
Continue reading “Left Turns and Traffic Jams”

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Bicycle Round-Up Part 3

Here’s the long-awaited (or maybe long-forgotten) part three of what I originally thought was a two-part series on bicycle questions.

1. Can a car drive in a bike lane? I sometimes see cars driving in the bike lane to pass a car turning left. Is that legal? How does a car make right turn across a bike lane?

A car is not allowed to drive in a bike lane except when making a right turn. That includes no passing on the right to get around a car turning left.

Now for the tricky part of the question: making a right turn across a bike lane. You may have noticed the variety of ways that bike lanes are marked approaching an intersection. Sometimes the solid white line that separates the cars from the bike riders stays solid. Sometimes it turns into a dashed line. Sometimes it ends completely about 50 feet before the intersection. Continue reading “Bicycle Round-Up Part 3”

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Speed Zones – Where Do They Change?

Q: When a road’s speed limit changes, let’s say from 35mph up to 50mph, does the increased speed limit take effect once you can see the new sign or only after you pass the sign?

A: I was curious about this myself, so I asked a traffic engineer the same question. He began by directing me to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). This 800-plus page book is like the Bible to traffic engineers, providing guidance on all aspects of signs and markings on roadways. In the chapter on speed limits, the MUTCD states that speed limit signs “shall be located at the points of change from one speed limit to another.” Relying on the MUTCD, drivers should not accelerate until reaching an increased speed limit sign. I can already hear some grumbling about that answer. Keep reading. Beyond the MUTCD, the traffic engineer also brought up some additional points, including the reasons for speed limit changes and a variation on “speed kills.” Continue reading “Speed Zones – Where Do They Change?”