Q: When is it legal to use your horn? Or maybe I should ask, when is it not legal to use your horn? Some drivers use their horn for a lot of things that aren’t emergencies. A: There’s a debate about whether the Road Runner from Looney Tunes says “beep beep” or “meep meep.” In […]| The Wise Drive
Road Rules2 days ago| The Wise Drive
Q: If you spend much time driving in rural areas you will encounter animals on the road. How should you react to animals in or near the roadway? A: Here’s a trivia question: What animal kills the most humans in the US? If you answered shark or bear, you’re not even close. It’s other humans. […] The post Avoiding Animals appeared first on The Wise Drive.| The Wise Drive
My fellow cyclists, I want you to live. From conversations I’ve had with bike riders and observations on the road there’s a question a few cyclists aren’t asking, and they should. It goes something like this: “Is it okay to ride my bike facing traffic?” That’s a hard no. I’ll get to the law in […] The post Riding the Right Way in Traffic appeared first on The Wise Drive.| The Wise Drive
Horn use isn’t simple: required for safety, banned for most other uses, and only sometimes protected as free speech. Honk wisely.| The Wise Drive
Q: A news site has an article about it now being illegal to have a license plate frame on your vehicle, and the author thought the cars she saw being pulled over were because of license plate frames. What’s the problem with license plate frames? This seems like the laws are going too far. A: […] The post Don’t Hide Your License Plate appeared first on The Wise Drive.| The Wise Drive
Q: Too often I see drivers give maybe one blink of their turn signal before turning. That can’t be enough to meet the requirements of the law, right? How far in advance of an intersection or lane change are you required to activate your turn signal? A: Our turn signal law is imperfect. Why? Maybe […] The post A Brief History of Turn Signals appeared first on The Wise Drive.| The Wise Drive
Do you know what the legal limit is for impaired driving? What if I told you there isn't one? Don't believe me? Stick around - I'll explain.| The Wise Drive
Q: When a freeway has an exit-only lane leading up to an offramp, what’s the speed limit in the exit lane? If the speed limit on the freeway is 60 mph, what speed should one drive in the exit-only lane? A: Allow me to begin with a reminder that when the posted speed limit is […] The post The Right Speed to Exit appeared first on The Wise Drive.| The Wise Drive
Q: What are the rules about crosswalks at intersections with signal lights? Many people think that if they are in a crosswalk and the light is green for the automobile, they can still cross. Please elaborate. A: I was initially puzzled by this question. The reason many pedestrians think they can cross the street when […] The post Pedestrian Control Signals appeared first on The Wise Drive.| The Wise Drive
Pickup trucks and SUVs keep getting bigger, and humans keep staying the same size. That's a problem.| The Wise Drive
Q: There are some intersections where the light never turns green when I’m on my bike. Eventually I just look both ways to make sure it’s clear and ride through. But what’s the right way to do this according to the law? A: There’s a law written just for you. Well, actually, for anyone riding […] The post When You and Your Bike are Stuck at Red appeared first on The Wise Drive.| The Wise Drive
Riding in the back of a pickup during a protest or parade? Whether it’s legal depends on seat belt availability, cargo placement, and permits| The Wise Drive
Q: At some intersections, and even some mid-block locations, I see no U-turn signs. I thought U-turns were generally illegal, especially mid-block. If that’s true, then why post no U-turn signs? A: I once saw a bumper sticker that said, “God allows U-turns.” Either that’s a metaphor or God hasn’t gotten through to the law […]| The Wise Drive
U-turns in Washington aren’t banned by default—but they’re only legal when safe and non-disruptive. Here's why the nuance matters.| The Wise Drive
Q: I drive through an intersection, almost daily, that has two left-turn lanes, while the cross-street they turn into has three lanes. There are some dots curving through the intersection that seem to suggest that the inside left-turn lane can choose from the two left-most lanes, and outside left-turn lane should go to the furthest […]| The Wise Drive
Q: The law requires registration and license plates “to operate any vehicle on a public highway.” Does this mean that electric bicycles need to be licensed in Washington State? Also, in the quote above I note the word “highway”. Does that include city streets and county roads? A: Here’s a paradox. A bicycle is both […]| The Wise Drive
Q: I saw an electric unicycle on a city street violating various traffic laws. I looked up what I saw online, and some of these unicycles have top speeds of over 50 mph. Do you have thoughts on wha…| The Wise Drive
Q: How can a police officer know if a driver is impaired by drugs? With alcohol there are roadside tests like walking a line, and a breath test. Are there similar tests for drug impairment? Alcohol…| The Wise Drive