Readers had lots of questions about other drivers’ behaviors in 2022. Here are their top 10
OK drivers, it’s time for review. Doug Dahl, Target Zero manager communications lead, answers questions about road laws, safe driving habits and general police practices every Monday. Here are the 10 Road Rules columns most popular with readers in 2022.
You’re driving the speed limit ... so do you have to pull over for a line of cars behind you?
Question: I’ve always wondered about the five-car rule when you are driving the speed limit. I pull over as I don’t like being in front of aggressive drivers, but is that illegal, too, when you aren’t technically a slow-moving vehicle?
Can a motorcycle group block an intersection to stay together? Here’s what the law says
Question: I recently ran into a horde of motorcyclists, and by horde I’m talking 50 to 60. At cross streets, one motorcycle would block the intersection and the rest would drive through. Red lights were ignored.
What’s the police ruling on this? Dahl answers.
Why can’t impaired drivers sleep it off in their car? There’s a rule (and a law) for that
Question: I’ve seen “plan ahead” messages to prevent impaired driving. They suggest having a designated driver, calling a cab, or letting someone sleep on your couch, which are all good, but might not be an option. Why don’t they suggest sleeping it off in your car?
Dahl’s answer is worth reading before New Year’s Eve.
Steady red arrow? Here’s what Washington state law says on waiting to turn right
Question: Is it legal to turn right on a right red arrow after stopping? I often see drivers doing this, but it seems that if it were legal to turn right after stopping, there would just be a red light and not a red arrow.
Dahl explains that just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should.
When are car windows too tinted and truck tires too wide? And just who are the enforcers?
Question: Two questions — Is it illegal to have darkened forward windows in a car? Is it illegal to have oversized tires on a pickup truck such that the tires extend wider than the truck body? I see a lot of these situations and I wonder if they are illegal, and if so, why there isn’t more enforcement. Both situations are dangerous for pedestrians; also, the dark windows make coordinating between drivers difficult.
A bike and a pedestrian meet on a sidewalk. No joke, it’s a lesson in right-of-way hierarchy
Question: Since pedestrians and bicycles share sidewalks, who has the right-of-way? I was at a sidewalk intersection and almost didn’t see the bicycle speeding toward me. At 80 years it is not easy to make an abrupt stop. When I chided the rider as he swept past me his reply indicted he thought he had right-of-way. If bike riders want to tangle with a car, truck or bus that is their problem. If they hit me, I will probably break something and that could be very serious for me.
Don’t get yourself into a no-good-outcomes situation in the first place, Dahl writes.
Stuck at a red light when an emergency vehicle needs to get by? Let these tips guide you
Question: If one is stopped at a traffic light on a street with a middle divider, what are you supposed to do when an emergency vehicle, sirens blaring, approaches from behind? To clear the way, you would have to run the red light.
How to make the safe choice.
Too far from the car ahead while waiting out a light? Remember the ‘tires on tar’ rule
Question: As a driver coming from a different state, one of the first things I noticed here is that the cars seem so spread out at stop lights. I was taught to pull up fairly close to the vehicle in front of you to make room for other vehicles on the road. I’ve seen people leave one, two and even three car lengths between their car and the one in front of them. Is this courtesy not taught in driver education around here? The “big space” people block others from getting to a turn lane, block cars from entering the roadway and sometimes use up a good portion of a green light to get through an intersection.
Driving is a complex task, Dahl replies.
How to keep documents out of the hands of car thieves and comply with traffic laws, too
Question: We’ve had a lot of car break-ins in our area lately. An obvious course of action is not to leave valuables in the car. But what about paperwork like registration and proof of insurance? Removing documents every time you leave a vehicle seems like a recipe for an awkward moment when you forget them or someone else drives the vehicle. Do you recommend taking them or leaving them in the vehicle?
Dahl writes about how not to test this.
Should you signal to make a right or left turn when trying to enter a traffic circle?
Question: Can you please write about signaling at traffic circles? I rarely see anyone signal to make a right or left turn. It causes confusion when trying to enter a traffic circle because one has to almost guess whether someone coming from the other side of the circle is going to go straight or make a left turn.
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This story was originally published January 2, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
