Trooper talk: Best steps to take post-accident
May 24, 2018, 9:33 AM
(WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
You’ve hypothetically just traded paint with another driver on the freeway. Your car is stopped. Traffic is backing up behind you. What should you do?
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Washington State Trooper Kyle Yarbrough says if you aren’t injured you should move your car out of the way.
“It’s OK to clear your vehicle to the right-hand shoulder,” he said. “Troopers can investigate that collision just as well on the right-hand shoulder or off an exit ramp, down on a surface street as we can on the freeway.”
Do not start discussing insurance information, arguing over fault, or taking pictures of the damage in the middle of the freeway.
“That’s not the place to do it,” Trooper Yarbrough said. “There are cars going by, people are not paying attention.
He also said you should stay in your car if it is not safe to drive. You don’t want to be standing on the freeway.
Those annoying bright lights
More and more drivers are complaining about the intensity of headlights. Many say they are being blinded by traffic behind them.
Trooper Yarbrough said he’s noticed it too.
“It seems like modern headlight technology is brighter,” he said. “I’ve even caught myself saying ‘this guy has his brights on,’ and then I get close and it’s a newer car, and I say ‘that’s LED headlight technology.'”
If you are installing new lights yourself, be sure you are following the law. They can only be so bright. Some after-market high-intensity light kits do not comply with state law. You also have to follow the law on how high or how low those lights are placed on your car.
