Everything Traffic Safety
If you could do something to make traveling on our roads safer, would you do it? We’ll get to the rules of the road in a bit, but first I want to highlight two students in our community who can answer “yes” to that question with certainty.
Q: Too often I read or hear about young people involved in serious car crashes. I’m guessing that’s because they’re in them more often than experienced drivers. Why are they crashing more? Are they not getting enough training? What can we do about it?
Q: Heading west on Fraser St, off of Woburn, there is a school speed limit 20 MPH sign and a flashing light. There is no sign indicating where the school zone ends, so I usually assume it ends where the school zone sign starts on the opposite side of the road (the sign for drivers heading east). Where does it really end? And why isn’t there a sign?
Q: Is it legal for a car manufacturer to show a car doing an illegal driving maneuver in a commercial?
A: It depends on which illegal driving maneuver you’re talking about. There is a law that prohibits the advertisement of speeding on public roads, but we’ll get to that in a moment. First I’d like to touch on a broader topic that your question brings up. It seems like there’s an arms race going on between car manufacturers, but instead of firepower, they’re competing on horsepower (which generally translates into speed). Continue reading “Is it Illegal to Speed in a Car Commercial?”
Q: Is it legal for two motorcycle police officers to ride side by side down a city street?
A: Yes, and that is not an exception granted only to police officers. In section 46.61.608 of the Revised Code of Washington it states that “Motorcycles shall not be operated more than two abreast in a single lane.” Officers or not, two motorcycles riding side by side is okay according to our state law. Continue reading “Riding Side By Side and Other Motorcycle Rules”
Q: When can I expect freeway flyers to get costly fines in the mail from traffic cameras recording speed and license plate numbers?
A: To put this question in context, it was asked after describing a series of high-risk speeding situations that the question-asker has encountered repeatedly on his daily commute. To put it in historical context, Bellingham has experienced some controversy over traffic camera enforcement that makes this question a bit of a volatile topic. But I’m answering it anyway. Continue reading “Photo Radar – When Will We Get It?”
For many people the end of the year is a time to take stock of our lives and see if we’re achieving our goals. This week, instead of answering one of your questions, I’d like to propose one of my own: How are we doing in our goal to eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes on our roads? Continue reading “The Good News, The Bad News and The Worse News in Traffic Safety”
Every year during the holidays we launch our impaired driving emphasis patrols and remind everyone of the dangers of impaired driving. Rather than hearing it from me, I thought it would be better to let someone who has experienced a DUI arrest tell her story:
I want to publicly thank Rochelle for her willingness to tell her story. It takes courage, and courageous people change lives. Thanks also to Ziad at MyTrafficMan.net for collaborating on this project.
Q: I just got a speeding ticket. How do I get it deferred? Is that a good idea?
A: For some drivers, deferring a traffic infraction makes sense; for others, not so much. It depends on the kind of driver you are. I have a little quiz that can help, but first let’s explain what it means to defer a traffic infraction.
For those of you who have been given an infraction, you may recall that the ticket you received listed several options on how to respond. You can see the options in the image above. Continue reading “Should You Get Your Speeding Ticket Deferred?”
Q: Not that I plan on doing it, but what would happen if I tried to outrun the cops on a traffic stop?
A: Let’s work from the assumption that you’re being pulled over for a simple traffic violation and that you’re not a suspect in a heinous crime. Understandably, cops make a greater effort to catch suspects that by their very freedom present a risk to the community than they do for someone who doesn’t use a turn signal. Continue reading “Running From The Cops”