Question: When traveling to work in the morning there are times when a school bus has to stop at almost every house. I am aware of the law regarding not passing a school bus when the lights are flashing red, however is there any law stating that you can't pass it when the lights are not flashing?
Answer: As long as the roadway is marked to allow passing, it would be legal to pass the school bus if the red lights were not flashing. It may be difficult to perform a safe pass if the bus is stopping that frequently. It might be easier, and or safer, to adjust the departure time for work by five minutes to avoid being behind the bus.
Q: If I'm driving the speed limit in the HOV lane in Seattle and the traffic behind me is tailgaiting, should I be expected to move right into the "hammer lane" to get out of their way?
A: The HOV lane is there to help facilitate the flow of traffic carrying multiple persons. You are not required to move over into the "hammer lane" to allow them to pass. Having said that, it might make more sense to move to the right instead of making the transit and private carrier (Greyhound, etc.) buses move to pass you. It is more difficult to change lanes safely for the bus than a passenger vehicle. When I use the HOV lane, I try to match the speed of the transit vehicles. The cars that want to go faster can go around.
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David Wright is a retired officer from the Bellingham Police Department who is now on the Whatcom County Traffic Safety Task Force.
