Category: Blog

The “Blinker Rule”: Why You Must Let the Metro Bus Cut You Off

You are driving down a busy street in downtown Seattle or Bellevue. Ahead of you, a city bus is pulled over at a stop, picking up passengers. As you approach, the bus’s left turn signal starts blinking. Your instinct might be to quickly accelerate and squeeze past the bus before it pulls out. It is […]

The Tape Measure Test: 5 Parking Distances That Will Fail Your WA Driving Test

You have nailed your lane changes, your speed control is flawless, and your scanning is on point. Then, the Department of Licensing (DOL) examiner asks you to pull over and park along the curb. You find a spot, put the car in park, and turn off the engine. “You parked too close to the stop […]

Flash! Will That Red Light Camera Spike Your WA Insurance?

You are driving home from work, listening to music, and trying to make it through the intersection before the light changes. You misjudge the yellow, cross the white line right as the light turns red, and suddenly—FLASH. Your stomach drops. You just got caught by an automated traffic camera. The immediate panic for most drivers […]

Flashing Hazards in the Rain? Why This Common Habit is Illegal in WA

You are driving on I-5, and the sky suddenly opens up. The rain is coming down so hard your wipers can barely keep up. Visibility plummets, traffic slows to a crawl, and suddenly, half the cars around you turn on their blinking hazard lights as they continue to drive. It is easy to understand why […]

The “Dead Red” Law: When It’s Legal to Run a Red Light in WA

You pull up to a left-turn lane on your motorcycle late at night. The light is red. You wait. The cross-traffic gets a green light, then turns yellow, then red. You expect your green arrow… but the light skips you entirely and gives the green to the cross-traffic again. You are officially stuck at a […]

Riding the Brakes: Why Snoqualmie Pass Smells Like Burning Rubber

If you have ever driven westbound on Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass, you have probably noticed it: a sharp, acrid smell of burning rubber and hot metal filling the cabin of your car. That smell is the result of hundreds of drivers making the exact same dangerous mistake. As the highway descends from the summit […]

Who Yields? The Seattle Neighborhood Traffic Circle Debate Settled

If you drive through the residential neighborhoods of Seattle, Ballard, or Tacoma, you encounter them on nearly every block: small, concrete islands planted with trees or shrubs right in the middle of the intersection. These are neighborhood traffic calming circles. While they are fantastic at slowing down speeders, they are also the source of one […]

From Dock to Deck: The Unwritten Rules of Driving Onto a WA Ferry

Whether you are heading to the San Juan Islands for a weekend getaway or commuting from Bremerton to Seattle, riding the Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a quintessential part of living in the Pacific Northwest. However, for a new driver—or someone who recently moved to the state—driving a car onto a massive, floating boat can […]

The Staredown: Who Actually Goes First at a WA 4-Way Stop?

You pull up to a four-way stop at the exact same time as another car. You look at them. They look at you. You both inch forward, hit the brakes, and wave for the other to go. Then, you both hit the gas at the exact same time. Welcome to the classic Pacific Northwest intersection […]

The “Safety Stop”: Why WA Cyclists Can Now Run Stop Signs

You are waiting at a four-way stop in your neighborhood. A cyclist approaches the intersection, slows down slightly, looks both ways, and pedals right through the stop sign without putting a foot down. If you are a driver, your first instinct is probably annoyance. Why don’t they have to follow the rules of the road? […]