Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Road rules misunderstood: Quiz yourself
It has been years or decades since you passed your driver’s test.
Traffic laws have faded into memory and become a matter of routine.
But some of the most common laws also are the most misunderstood. They are the traffic laws you think you know.
No matter how ridiculous you think they are, they’re our local and state laws, and they were written for a reason.
With help from La Crosse police patrol Sgt. Gary Hauser, who has conducted more than 20,000 traffic stops in 19 years, the Wisconsin State Patrol and the state Department of Transportation, the Tribune explored some of Wisconsin’s most misunderstood and disregarded traffic laws.
So whether you forgot them, never understood them, never learned them or never heard of them, see how well you know the rules of the road.
QUIZ QUESTIONS (answers below)
1) True or False: It is legal to drive through an intersection on a yellow traffic light.
2) True or False: It is legal to drive a car without liability insurance.
3) True or False: It’s illegal to talk and text on your cell phone while driving.
4) True or False: You can be ticketed for driving too fast when you’re driving under the posted speed limit.
5) True or False: You’re driving down a busy road without a shoulder (picture Losey Boulevard) and get pulled over. You should signal and coast to the nearest side street or other safe place for the officer’s safety.
6) True or False: It is illegal not to yield to pedestrians in a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
7) True or False: Motorists must slow down or switch lanes if possible when an emergency vehicle is stopped.
8) True or False: Motorcycles can turn left on a red light after 45 seconds if the turn arrow doesn’t switch to green.
9) True or False: Bicycles have the same rights on the road as vehicles.
10) True or False: It is legal to drive a car without a front license plate.
11) True or False: Drivers can be ticketed for driving under the speed limit in the left lane on a four-lane road.
12) True or False: It is legal to hang objects from your rearview mirror.
13) True or False: It is illegal to drive with bare feet.
14) True or False: Motorists must give way to livestock.
15) True or False: It is legal to turn left from a one-way onto a one-way on a red light.
ANSWERS
1) False. State law says a yellow light means stop, not accelerate or proceed with caution, Hauser said. Violators could earn a $160.80 ticket and three demerit points for failure to obey a traffic signal.
2) True. Wisconsin law doesn’t require liability insurance, unlike Minnesota and Illinois. Obviously, most insurance agents advise the coverage for your protection. “If you get into an accident and hurt someone, you can lose all your future income,” said Robert Brown, an agent with All American Insurance in La Crosse.
3) False. Wisconsin still allows talking and texting behind the wheel, though Minnesota enacted a ban effective Aug. 1 where texting, e-mailing or Internet browsing while in the driver’s seat is punishable by a fine up to $300.
4) True. The situation is best applied to driving too fast during nasty weather, such as snow, ice or rain storms. “You have to adjust your speed to the weather conditions,” Hauser said. Failure to do so can earn you a $108.60 ticket for driving too fast for conditions or unreasonable and imprudent speed.
5) False. When you realize an officer is pulling you over, stop immediately. “An officer wouldn’t pull you over unless he thought it was safe,” Hauser said.
6) True, and it’s the law Hauser believes is most commonly disobeyed. State statute requires motorists to stop and yield to pedestrians at all intersections and crosswalks, marked or unmarked, where traffic is not controlled by signals. Failure to yield or stop for a pedestrian will earn you a $222 citation. “I’ll enforce it strictly,” Hauser said. “A pedestrian doesn’t have a chance against a car.”
7) True. Wisconsin enacted the Move Over Law in 2001 that requires drivers to switch lanes on a four-lane road or slow down on a two-lane road when a vehicle is stopped on the side of the road with its emergency lights flashing. Those who disobey are subject to a $249 fine.
8) True. The left turn arrow is often tripped by the weight of a waiting vehicle, but a motorcycle sometimes isn’t heavy enough to alert the underground sensors. Motorcycles can proceed cautiously if no other vehicles are present, Hauser said.
9) True. State statues define bicycles as vehicles, meaning they must be treated as equals and obey all traffic laws and signals. That means bicyclists can be ticketed for blowing through stop signs.
10) False. All vehicles registered in Wisconsin must have back and front license plates affixed to the vehicle. That doesn’t mean leaning against the back window or thrown on the front dash. No front plate means a $45.60 ticket. And while we’re at it, tabs should be in the lower right hand corner of your rear license plate.
11) True. Motorists traveling in the left lane at less than the normal speed of traffic are subject to a $198.60 ticket for failure to drive in the right lane, said state patrol Capt. Charles Teasdale. Citations, however, are rare unless drivers are creating a hazard, he said.
12) False. The graduation tassel, prom garter, lei, pine tree air fresher and fuzzy dice are all illegal to hang from the mirror because it can obstruct your vision. While we’re on the topic of clean and clear windshields, it’s also illegal to drive with small mounds of snow and ice on top during winter months.
13) False. The rumor started decades ago, but state statute doesn’t require footwear. Still, think twice about going foot commando in the driver’s seat. Can you imagine the dirt and grime on your accelerator and brake pedal?
14) True. Livestock has the right of way when crossing a road, according to the WisDOT. If someone is riding or leading a frightened animal and signals distress, drivers must stop until the animal is under control, the department stated.
15) True. Go ahead. Some places to do so in La Crosse are at Third and Cass streets, Third and Cameron streets and Fourth and Cameron streets, Hauser said.
To see the Department of Transportation Motorists' Handbook, including driving test study questions, click here
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