The Wise Drive

November 5, 2020July 18, 2024

Driving With Your Parking Lights – Is That a Problem?

Q: When I started driving in the early 1960s, parking lights were to only be used when the vehicle was stopped. Today, with driving lights and LEDs around the headlights, the distinction of parking/driving lights is blurred (in my opinion). How could someone distinguish if a newer car is driving with their parking lights on, or driving lights? Is it an issue? Or legal to drive with the parking lights on?

A: This started as a “when” question, but it’s going to get, at least partly, a “where” answer. You mentioned that when you started driving in the early 1960s, parking lights were only for when your car was stopped. Given that I was conceived in the final month of 1969, I’m of no help by way of personal experience. Instead, I dug into the archives to see how our laws on parking lights have changed.

October 29, 2020July 18, 2024

New Stop Sign Law for Cyclists – Part Three

Q: Now that bike riders are allowed to treat stop signs as yield signs, what should a driver at a four-way stop do if they’ve stopped and are ready to go and see a cyclist coming? Do you have to yield to the cyclist?

A: Before I address this question, I need to clarify something from last week’s article about tire chains and snow socks. If I left you wondering if maybe the law required you to carry chains in addition to snow socks, even if the chains don’t fit your car, the answer is a firm “no.” And that’s not just my interpretation of the law; it’s confirmed by Sgt. Wright with the Washington State Patrol. The State Patrol does not expect you to carry equipment that is of no use to you.

Now, to your question. Nearly all the discussion about the change to the stop-as-yield law has focused on what cyclists can do, but we haven’t spent much time talking about changes for drivers (if any). This law changes how cyclists ride, but will it change how you drive? Probably not. To explain why, we may need an in-depth analysis of what it means to yield. How many readers did that last sentence just turn away? “In-depth traffic law? I can hardly wait,” said nobody ever (well, I might have said it). Okay, maybe we’ll just go a reasonable depth into yielding.

October 22, 2020July 18, 2024

Tire Chains, Snow Socks, And A Literal Reading Of The Law

Q: The Washington State Patrol lists “alternative traction devices” that are approved for use when “Chains Required” signs are posted. However, the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) states that when chains are required “AWD vehicles will be exempt . . . provided that tire chains for at least one set of drive tires are carried in the vehicle.” Does this mean I still need to carry chains and not just “alternative traction devices” when traveling on roads where chains are required, even if chains don’t work on my vehicle?

A: It’s been said that the most difficult job on a movie set is that of the script supervisor. It’s this person’s job to make sure that from shot to shot there is continuity to the film. They watch for, and sometimes miss, things like bullet holes that are already in the wall before the shooting happens (Pulp Fiction), a smashed up Porsche that is flawless in the next scene (Commando), and a sword injury that promptly heals itself (Die Another Day).

October 15, 2020July 18, 2024

When It’s Foggy, Camouflage Is A Bad Look

Q: Why would someone in a gray car drive without their headlights on when it’s a foggy day?

A: How about I answer a rhetorical question with a non-rhetorical answer? And yes, I just started a non-rhetorical answer with a rhetorical question. Also, is a non-rhetorical answer even a thing? Probably not, but this isn’t an English lesson, so let’s talk about headlights and fog.

October 8, 2020July 18, 2024

Flags on Pickup Trucks – Can You or Can’t You? (Or Should You?)

Q: I have a question about vehicles driving around with large flags on wooden flag poles. I saw one on I-5 with three flags on wooden poles held in place with guy lines, driving 70 miles an hour in a big wind and rain storm. It seems dangerous – lines could break and the poles could fly into other vehicles or create debris on the road. Is this legal?

A: It sounds undignified, but the same law that applies to hauling a used futon to your dorm room after spotting it for free on the sidewalk also applies to flying our national symbol. Whatever you load in or on your vehicle, it’s your responsibility to properly secure your cargo. Here’s the rule: “No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any public highway unless such vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping . . .”

October 1, 2020July 18, 2024

What’s The Risk of Distracted Driving?

Q: What’s the deal with people who wear a mask when they’re driving by themselves in a car, but then they’re texting while driving?

A: Over the past few months I’ve had several people ask me this question, or some variation of it. This morning, as I was walking through my neighborhood I witnessed it myself. I think what prompts this question is a perceived paradox: wearing a mask while driving suggests that you’re concerned about your health, but texting while driving sends the opposite message.

September 24, 2020July 18, 2024

Getting A Ticket In The Mail After A Crash

Q: I was in a no injury accident on I-5. Traffic came to an abrupt stop and I was rear-ended. Damage to the other car was extensive and needed to be towed. We both called his insurance company but no police were called. I waited with him for a tow truck for 20 minutes and then left to work. I received a ticket in the mail for improper lane usage. I contested it and have court next month, but I shouldn’t have got this ticket. Why did the police send me this? They were not called to the scene.

A: In the 2001 heist movie Ocean’s 11, Terry Benedict owns a casino (or three actually) and they’re about to be robbed by Danny Ocean and his 10 buddies. Disregarding that the protagonist in this story, Danny, is likely guilty of multiple felonies while Terry, the purported villain, is only guilty of dating Danny’s ex-wife, the success of the movie hinges on incomplete information. Confident in his casino security, Terry believes he’s not vulnerable to a robbery, but that’s because he doesn’t know the whole story.

September 17, 2020July 18, 2024

New Stop Sign Law for Cyclists – Part Two

Last week I announced the upcoming change to the law that allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs. It took two parts to give it proper consideration, so if you haven’t already read part one, do that now. It’s okay, I’ll wait. I’m in no hurry.

Now that you’re all caught up on the history and data we covered part one, part two looks at how this law works in the real world and why you might like it, even if you don’t ride a bike.

September 10, 2020July 18, 2024

New Stop Sign Law For Cyclists – Part One

There’s a new law I want to tell you about (or, more accurately, a change to a current law), but before I do, I’m asking you to have an open mind. And be patient; to give this change of law the attention it deserves I’m going to split this into two parts. Sometimes the safest strategies seem, on the surface, to be counterintuitive, and I think this is one of those situations.

Okay, ready? As of October 1^st, cyclists in Washington will be allowed to treat stop signs as yield signs. I’ll let that sink in for a minute. Already I can hear the voices of cyclists and drivers in my head pushing back against this crazy idea.

September 3, 2020July 18, 2024

Figuring Out Where You Can Ride An ATV

Q: Can ATVs be legally driven on city neighborhood lots in Bellingham? Are they legal on city streets?

A: This feels like one of those questions. You know, the ones where the outcome determines your next conversation with your neighbors. I see two possibilities here. Either your neighbor is riding their ATV and you want them to stop, or your neighbor asked you to stop riding your ATV but you don’t want to stop.