Washington · Handbook chapter 3 · 6 min read

Chapter 3: Your vehicle

Washington vehicle rules and controls: registration, report of sale, plates, minimum insurance, tires, headlights and high beams, brake lights, turn and hand signals, seat position, seat belts, child seats, airbags, steering, braking, ABS, vehicle balance and blind zones.

Why this chapter matters

A safe trip starts before you move. The knowledge test asks about insurance amounts, lights, signals, seat belts and child seats, and these are some of the easiest numbers in the Driver Guide to learn.

Paperwork

• The Certificate of Ownership (title) shows the owners, the vehicle identification number (VIN) and any lender. Keep it somewhere safe, not in the vehicle.
• All vehicles must be registered. New residents have 30 days to register. Sign each year's registration and keep it in the vehicle.
• When you sell, trade, gift or dispose of a vehicle, file a Report of Sale within 5 days. A report of sale does not transfer ownership: the buyer must take the signed title to a licensing office within 15 days to avoid penalty fees.
• Plates go on the front and rear, clean and readable. A frame is fine, but covering the letters, numbers or tabs is illegal.

Insurance

You must have liability insurance and carry proof of it. The minimum cover is:

Driver assistance technology

Collision warnings, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, blind spot alerts and similar systems support good driving but never replace it. They can miss a vehicle two lanes over, may not see people walking or riding, and stop working well when sensors are dirty or lane lines fade. You remain fully responsible. Keep them switched on unless severe weather makes the alerts a distraction.

Maintenance

• Tire tread should be no less than 2/32 of an inch. The right pressure is on the label on the driver's door edge or in the owner's manual.
• Keep glass clean inside and out, keep washer fluid full, and clear all snow, ice and frost from every window before you drive. Do not hang things from the mirror.

Lights

• The law requires headlights from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. It is simpler to use them all the time, and always in rain, snow, fog or smoke.
• Daytime running lights are not as bright as headlights and do not turn on your taillights.
• Use high beams on open roads without streetlights, but dim them within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and within 300 feet when you are following someone.
• Brake lights are red and must be visible from 100 feet.
• Use your hazard warning lights for a breakdown or an emergency stop.

Tip: if you have to slow or stop where the driver behind will not expect it, tap the brake pedal three or four times to warn them.

Signals

Signal every time you change direction, even with no one around. Signal at least 100 feet before you move, and check that the signal switches off afterwards.

If your signals or brake lights fail, use hand signals with your left arm out of the window:

Your seat

• Sit so you can see clearly and reach the pedals, with your chest at least 10 inches from the steering wheel to leave room for the airbag.
• Keep a gentle bend in your elbow, and set the headrest even with your ears to protect against whiplash.

Seat belts and child seats

Every person in a moving vehicle must wear a seat belt or be secured in an approved child restraint. The shoulder belt crosses the middle of the chest and shoulder, never behind your back, under your arm or across your neck, and the lap belt sits low across the hips.

Children under 13 should never ride in the front seat, because a deploying airbag could seriously injure or kill them. Airbags only protect you properly if you also wear your belt.

Steering

• Hold the outside of the wheel on the top half, at 9 and 3 or 10 and 2.
• Hand-to-hand (push/pull): your hands never cross, so they stay clear of the airbag. Use it for most turns.
• Hand-over-hand: for low-speed turns, parking, tight intersections, limited visibility and recovering from a skid.
• One-hand steering: only when backing or working controls such as wipers. The 12 o'clock position is recommended only when backing, with your body turned to look behind.

Braking and balance

• There are four levels of braking: light, medium, firm and emergency. Aim to need only light and medium. Brake and accelerate as if you had a cup of water in your lap.
• Antilock brakes (ABS) let you steer during hard braking. They do not shorten your stopping distance. The car may shake a little when ABS works.
• A car's weight shifts as it moves: pitch (front to back when you speed up or brake), roll (side to side in a turn) and yaw (the back sliding out of line when you steer sharply back and forth).

Reference points and blind zones

• When the stop line appears under your side mirror, you are about 3 to 6 inches from it. When the center of the hood lines up with a lane marking, you are about 3 to 6 inches from the edge of the lane.
• Blind zones can hide a car, motorcycle or bicycle. Adjust your mirrors, then turn your head to check, keeping the wheel straight while you look.
• Large vehicles have big blind zones, sometimes called "no zones." If you cannot see the driver's mirrors, the driver cannot see you.