POP QUIZ: Local traffic law

    It’s always someone else’s fault, isn’t it? Why can’t people in Holyoke just learn how to drive already?
    Truth be told, you could very well be the problem. A well-known study shows that almost 90 percent of drivers believe themselves to be better than the average driver.
    Something doesn’t add up here.
    Whether you’ve been driving the same streets for one year or 50, sometimes a learning curve can have the same effect as being overly comfortable — cut corners, a blind eye and, sometimes, somebody getting hurt.
    Holyoke police have noticed a few areas of particular concern lately. Take the quiz to test your knowledge of common traffic law — and then ask yourself, honestly, are you following through?
    
1 You approach an uncontrolled intersection (no stop signs from any direction). Another car also approaches the intersection from your right. Who has the right of way?
    ­—A) You, as the person on the left.
    —B) The other driver, as the person on the right.
    —C) Whoever is driving in a north/south direction.
    
2 What does it mean when a stoplight turns yellow?
    —A) Slow down, prepared to stop.
    —B) Hustle across!
    —C) Come to a complete stop.  
    
3 Someone ahead of you is pulled over by a police officer on the side of the road. What do you do?
    —A) Rubberneck, of course. Creep past slowly to see who got caught this time. Flip a U-turn and repeat.
    —B) Drive past as you normally would, ignoring the situation.
    —C) Slow down, watching for people on the side of the road, and move over a lane if possible.
    
4 True or false: Though unmarked, there are “common law” right-hand turning lanes at the stoplight along Interocean Avenue in Holyoke.
    —A) True.
    —B) False.
    
5 You want to back out of an angled parking spot along a highway or street. Who has the right of way if a driver is approaching behind you?
    —A) The person already driving on the street.
    —B) You, as the person backing out.
    —C) Whoever proceeds with the most confidence.
      
6 True or false: It is perfectly legal to make a partial U-turn to park in an angled parking spot on the other side of the street. (Example: driving north on Interocean and turning to park in front of Pizza p.a.d.)
    —A) True.
    —B) False.
    
7 In order, what is the speed limit in an unposted residential area, on a county road and in a school zone?
    —A) 25 mph, 60 mph, 20 mph.
    —B) 30 mph, 55 mph, 20 mph.
    —C) 35 mph, none, 25 mph.

 

Pop Quiz Answers

1 — B) The other driver, as the person on the right.
    At an uncontrolled intersection, or even if two cars approach stopsigns at roughly the same time, the person to the right always has the right of way.
    Failing to yield right of way at an uncontrolled intersection is one of the top causes of accidents in Holyoke, according to Holyoke Police Department’s Sgt. Mark Werts.
    Of course, it is good practice for safety’s sake to always slow down and read the other driver’s actions, even if on the right. Otherwise, an assumption can turn into an accident quite quickly.
    
2 — A) Slow down, prepared to stop.
    Most people learn what red, yellow and green lights mean in elementary school. Yellow has never meant to speed up.
    “We seem to have problems with people speeding and running the red light,” said Werts.
    If the front of the vehicle has not broken the plane of the crosswalk or limit line when the light turns red, the driver is in violation.
    
3 — C) Slow down, watching for people on the side of the road, and move over a lane if possible.
    “Move over” laws have been enacted in all 50 states, with Colorado’s in place since 2005, but first responders being struck and killed on the side of the road while on duty is still a significant problem.
    “Move over” laws require motorists traveling on multi-lane roadways to, when practical, merge away from a vehicle working on the side of the highway to provide an empty travel lane of safety for the worker.
    If not practical, the motorist must slow significantly below the posted speed limit while passing the roadside worker.
    Similarly, if an emergency vehicle is approaching with lights and/or sirens, a driver must pull over to the right and stop until the vehicle has passed.
    In regard to “rubbernecking,” gawking at an incident is another form of distracted driving and can lead to an accident itself.
   
4 — B) False.

    “There is no right-hand turn lane there,” said Bergstrom of Interocean Avenue at the stoplight.
    Drivers can and will be pulled over for creating their own turning lanes.
    
5 — A) The person already driving on the street.
    When backing out from an angled parking spot, a driver must yield to those already driving on the street.
    
6 — B) False.
    It is illegal to make a U-turn across double yellow lines. Claiming that the “U” is really more of a “J” because of parking in an angled parking spot is not a valid excuse.
    
7 — B) 30 mph, 55 mph, 20 mph.
    “We want to stress that people give themselves enough time to get where they need to be so that they don’t need to be in such a hurry,” said Werts regarding local speeding.
    Unposted residential areas have a speed limit of 30 mph, unposted county roads have a limit of 55 mph, and school zones are 20 mph when in effect.
   

  

Holyoke Enterprise

970-854-2811 (Phone)

130 N Interocean Ave
PO Box 297
Holyoke CO 80734