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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • A brief pause 5/12/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, May 12, 2008 Street Smarts: Puget Sound area has safer teen drivers By Jeff Switzer Herald Writer Teen drivers are supposedly safer drivers in Puget Sound than in other parts of the country, according to a ranking by an insurance company. A study by Allstate looked at crash data for Puget Sound cities -- Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma -- and concluded Seattle places 40th of 50 cities surveyed. About 17 of 100,000 teen drivers in Seattle will be in a fatal crash. Washington's state average is 21 fatalities per 100,000 teen drivers. I'm not sure if there's much difference between Seattle teens and Snohomish County teens behind the wheel. In Seattle, they probably get more practice with a clutch on steep hills, and spend more time in stop-and-go. Up here, teens probably spend more time on curvy two-lane back roads and braking for wildlife. If local driving schools didn't up and close without warning, we'd have even more trained drivers on the streets. Break out the spandex Bike to Work Day is Friday, and seven biker-friendly stations are planned in Bothell and Snohomish County. Go to www.commtrans.org and click on the orange promo for locations and score some healthy biker swag. Gas prices still surging A barrel of oil topped $120, and local gas prices hit $3.78 a gallon for unleaded in the Puget Sound area. Send me an e-mail and let me know how much it's costing to fill your tank these days. I-5 commute now PDQ "We are really enjoying the new improvements. It has cut 10 to 15 minutes from our commute time and it feels less dangerous to be out there. Bob Drewel, former Snohomish County Executive, spent many hours working for this and his leadership on this issue is worthy of our thanks. Now if the new cell phone law will get people to pay more attention while driving we might have something!" Mike Ashley, former county councilman, Silvana Double-yellow line quiz Question: Is it legal to turn left into a driveway crossing a double-yellow line on a two-lane street? I'd like to know if it's legal in Lynden and Seattle. Robin Shoemake, Seattle Answer: It's unclear what Seattle and Lynden share in common, but it's certainly not traffic laws. Turns out it's illegal in Seattle but just fine in Lynden. "It is illegal for someone to cross a double-yellow line, even if pulling into a driveway," Seattle police officer Mark Jamieson said. The fine is $124. "The question one should ask is, 'Why is there a double-yellow line there in the first place?' " Either it is a heavily traveled road and it would be unsafe to cross or the visibility is poor, Jamieson said. A driver stopping to turn can back up traffic, "not a good thing on a two-lane road." So a driver must turn at an intersection and turn around. Lynden's double-yellow-line rules restrict people from passing, not turning, Police Chief Jack Foster said. "There is no ordinance I'm aware of," Foster said. The only limitation might be if the double-yellow line is so wide that it is considered a median. "There's nothing in Lynden to prevent you from making a left turn across a double-yellow as long as you don't continue to drive in the oncoming lane," Foster said. "Otherwise, it could restrict access to a residence." Ask about traffic Have a question about traffic or street rules? E-mail stsmarts@heraldnet.com.

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