Question: Where I live there is a four-way stop sign. A lot of times there are people riding their bikes and they don't stop because they are coming down a steep hill. If, after I stop, I go and they hit me, will they be at fault or me? - Tony
Answer: Bicyclists need to remember that the same laws of the road that apply to motorists apply to them. If they don't stop at a stop sign and run into you, they will be at fault.
~ Saw this upbeat vanity plate on a red Eclipse: HAPMEAL (happy meal).
On a related note, I got miles of smiles out of this McDonald's sign: "Parking for drive-thru service only."
Q: I was driving down the freeway next to a Highway Patrol car. When I looked over, I was surprised to see that he was talking on a hand-held cell phone. Doesn't the new hands-free law apply to everyone? - Mark Cedillo, Redlands
A: Not exactly. Drivers of authorized emergency vehicles are allowed to use handheld phones during the course of employment.
~ Dreading a trip to the DMV? According to my own personal inside source at the Fontana DMV, if you schedule your trip for the last week of the month, you'll experience the shortest wait times.
~ This "flat tire tale" is dedicated to my two sons who are attending college this summer:
Two college students knew they had their English finals on Monday, but since they were acing the class, they decided to spend the weekend surfing, hanging out with friends and going to dance clubs. Come Monday morning, they were so exhausted from their weekend activities that they overslept and missed their final.
They found their professor and explained to him that they had missed their final because they had gotten a flat tire and they didn't have a spare.
The professor told them they could make up the final on the following day. They were elated and relieved.
At the final, the professor placed them in separate rooms, confiscated their cell phones and handed each of them a test booklet and told them to begin. The first problem, worth 5 points, was simple.
"Cool," they thought. "This is going to be easy."
The next problem was worth 95 points. It said: "Which tire?"
Michelle Pearl is a longtime traffic-school instructor and the owner of InterActive Traffic School Online, www.trafficinteractive.com. Send questions to drivetime@dailybulletin.com or write to DriveTime, c/o the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, PO Box 4000, Ontario, CA 91761. Some reader questions will be answered in print.
