Driving discussions deserved, desired

Since the inaugural run of this column two years ago, I’ve noticed ever-increasing attention to driving topics all around us. This prevalence seems to solidify the relevance of paying more attention to our driving behavior. Evidently, more and more people are grasping the concept that driving well may save one’s life.

Whether simple coincidence, or a driving revelation of sorts, I find exponentially expanding information on driving subjects wherever I look. Even locally, Fox 28 conducts the “Ask Deputy Craig” feature, where Spokane County Sheriff Craig Chamberlin fields driving questions. Also recently, KREM 2 produced a segment titled, “Driving 101.” In that expose, it was suggested that the average “experienced” driver has forgotten most of what they learned back when they took their first driving test.

It’s typical for us to forget once-learned items. Is there anyone who still knows the Periodic Table of Elements like the back of his or her hand? Like the rules of the road — we learn them for the test, but after that the memory fades. How far can you travel in a two-way left turn lane?; 300 feet. How far in advance of your turn must you signal?; 100 feet. Dim your high beams within what distance of an oncoming vehicle?; 500 feet. And when must you dim when following behind?; 300 feet.

These are just a few of the things we may forget, just like determining right-of-way, what to do in school zones, when or how to pass, which turns are legal, etc. We all knew this stuff for the driver exam, but it vanishes over time. This makes a case for occasional retesting of seasoned drivers — none of us really want to retest, but we would all be safer because of it. As a side benefit, the state would have an increased ability to monitor the mandatory insurance requirement as a prerequisite for the test.

Whether it’s road rules, road rage, driver testing, or driver distraction that one is discussing, the effects of discussion are positive. It’s a worthy undertaking, having the outcome of increased driver knowledge and attention. That mirrors the goals of this column.

Topical topics are important to discuss too, like the inordinate amount of wrecks occurring in slick conditions on I-90 near Post Falls this winter, or the ramifications of impending photo enforcement at controlled intersections. When we are talking about driving, we are thinking about it, and that is a good thing.

Many driving topics contain gray areas — situations where black and white, or right and wrong are blurred. One such area concerns two-way left turn lanes. Here, I find the state’s wording somewhat ambiguous. I have been intrigued by the mystique surrounding these center lanes marked with large arrows ever since a Washington State Patrol officer once told me that they were not “waiting lanes.” I still, however, along with others, use them for a brief wait, if necessary, when entering the roadway from a side street, driveway, or business. I believe that the state’s written position is gray.

In the Washington Driver Guide, and within RCW 46.61.290, the state’s wording reveals that these lanes are reserved for “vehicles making left turns in either direction from or into the roadway.” To me, the “from” part is quite clear, though the “into” part is not. It seems that “either direction” implies only two directions, running parallel with the two-way lane. Perpendicular entry is not specifically addressed.

So, if a vehicle is turning “into” the roadway from “either direction,” isn’t it making a right turn when doing so (the opposite of the left turn taking it “from” the roadway)? If you are entering the lane from a side street, you may be making a left turn into the two-way lane, but once you are within it, a left turn would put you back where you came from.

Way back when I was told it was not a waiting lane, I was informed that when you embark from a side street or business, traffic should be clear in the lane you are about to enter, so that you only pass through the left turn lane, and are not waiting there to obstruct a driver needing to use the lane to exit the roadway.

If anyone, especially judges or law officers, has an opinion on this subject, please let me know of it.

Two-way left turn behavior is just one of the many recurring topics that show up in my mail. There are many other questions often repeated, in part due to ambiguity and gray areas, but also due the human need for periodic information refreshment.

Driving discussion is productive — please be a part of it and send me your thoughts.