Q: To reach southbound Interstate 405 from her home in the Totem Lake area, Kirkland resident Bea Baker has resorted to traveling a bit out of her way to the Northeast 124th or Northeast 116th street freeway on-ramps, even though she lives just west of a new Northeast 128th Street overpass that has direct access ramps onto the freeway.

She's noticed solo drivers jumping on the new carpool entrance to the freeway on weekday mornings, even though it is her understanding that the carpool lane is set aside for vehicles with two or more people.

Could it be that local residents have been given special permission to use that entrance because of so much road construction in the area, or are there special rules she's unaware of that could help her reach the freeway faster?

She fears she'd be pulled over on the freeway if she used the carpool entrance. "I want to do what's right," she said, "but it would certainly be much more convenient to just hop on the freeway from the carpool lane."

A: Sorry, Bea. The state says the HOV direct access ramps are off-limits to solo drivers at all times, even when there's construction in the area. The new ramps at Northeast 128th Street are only for buses, carpools and vanpools. So solo drivers headed to southbound I-405 in the Totem Lake area should head for general-traffic ramps at Northeast 124th Street or Northeast 116th Street, just like you're doing.

State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Laura Johnson points out that solo drivers who get caught using the carpool direct access ramps are subject to a $101 fine, and double that amount in a construction work zone.

A GMAC Insurance study announced today reveals that 130 million American drivers disregard the dangers of driving while fatigued. While 96 percent say they know it's as dangerous as driving drunk, 65 percent admit they'd drive seven hours or longer alone in one trip without significant breaks.

The news comes at a particularly dangerous time, as many people set off for longer road trips for the Fourth of July holiday, which is also the deadliest driving day of the year, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, based in Arlington, Va.

The GMAC Insurance study, which polled 5,175 licensed Americans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, reports that 96 percent of drivers say they know that driving while tired is just as dangerous as driving while drunk.

July 3rd is the second deadliest day. Throughout the summer season, Americans will continue to add mileage on their odometers with longer road trips. The IIHS reports that more miles are traveled in August than any other month.

"Everybody has their own personal threshold, but we believe that driving seven hours without significant breaks is pushing the limit," said Gary Kusumi, a GMAC Insurance executive. "More than 100,000 crashes each year are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel."

It doesn't pay to skimp on sleep, and coffee and cat naps are only a quick fix. Getting plenty of rest is one of the keys to staying safe and being at your best.

Here are some tips to keep summer travel safe, fun, and full of great memories:

• Plan ahead. The best way to make sure you're alert? Get proper rest ahead of time before setting off on your road trip.

• Avoid alcohol. Even the tiniest amount of alcohol can make you drowsy. If you'll be driving, avoid it altogether.

• If possible, take a buddy along on long trips, so you can take turns driving.

• Avoid driving between midnight and 6 a.m., when you're most likely to feel fatigued.

• If you feel drowsy, the safest thing to do is to pull over and stop driving. As soon as possible, drive to the closest safe resting spot, such as a motel or a friend's house, and catch up on your sleep.

The study was administered by TNS, a market information resource and provider of custom research and analysis. The national sample was comprised of 5,175 total licensed respondents, aged 16-60 and over.

Washington ranks 32nd in the nation in overall highway performance, according to a new study by the Reason Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit think tank that has prepared its 16th annual report on the Performance of State Highway Systems. The state's latest rating compares to 18th in 2000.

The report ranks states in a number of categories. This state's best rankings are for fatality rates (ranking 12th) and rural pavement condition (15th). Washington scored lowest on rural interstate conditions. The full report is online at http://reason.org/ps360/.

Q: It doesn't seem to downtown Seattle resident Martin Paup that road construction along Highway 305 through Poulsbo in Kitsap County will ever be finished. He and his wife frequently visit family members in the Port Angeles area, and travel Highway 305 between Winslow and the Olympic Peninsula, passing through Pouslbo in the process.

Road renovations over there are disrupting and frustrating, he said, and "it's been going on forever with no discernible end in sight."

A: For the past 10 months, the state Department of Transportation has been overseeing the widening of Highway 305 from Poulsbo's south city limits to Bond Road, and the $14.9 million project is on schedule to be completed this November, says transportation department spokesman Jamie Swift.

The project adds a new lane in each direction to serve as carpool lanes during peak commuter hours on weekdays and as general-purpose lanes during off-peak hours and on weekends. It improves five intersections along the highway and installs bike lanes.

The project has required multiple traffic restrictions, and more are scheduled. "We're heading into the most hectic portion of our project," said Swift.

Weekend road closures planned in July and August will allow crews to install culverts under the highway to improve fish migration. So, if possible, drivers who use that route should plan for delays or use other routes during two weekend closures: July 13 through July 17, and Aug. 17 through Aug. 20.

Work also is affecting traffic on Bond Road Northeast, also known as Highway 307, which crosses Highway 305.

When the project is complete, traffic flow will be much improved, says the state. More about the project is online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR305/PoulsboSouthtoBondRd/.

Q: If you've ever had occasion to make a loop around Green Lake, you may know that West Green Lake Way North wraps around the southwest end of the expansive urban lake before it merges onto Aurora Avenue North, which is part of Highway 99.

Gordon Kaplan of Seattle points out what he calls two oddities, and both, he says, are major safety issues.

"The first, and most important," he says, "is that there is no yield sign for those merging into Highway 99." The speed limit on the access road is lower than the speed for Aurora, and "this makes for an on-ramp condition without any regulation."

The second issue, he says, is that the access carries two-way traffic, and northbound drivers who are picking up speed to make the merge can encounter oncoming traffic from cars parked along the shoulder making a U-turn to head south back toward the lake.

In Kaplan's opinion, there should be at the very least a yield sign for the ramp to Highway 99, and perhaps even a line of yellow paint on the road to indicate that it is a two-way street. A "two-way traffic ahead" sign wouldn't be a bad idea either, he says.

A: The city says those are good points, and Wayne Wentz, the city transportation department's traffic management director, says a yield sign where West Green Lake Way North intersects with Aurora Avenue North will be installed within the next two weeks.

In addition, he said, a center line will be placed along part of that access, and the striping should extend from the eastbound stop sign just down from the signal off the northbound Aurora ramp.

While Kaplan and others may see that area as a problem waiting to happen, transportation department spokesman Gregg Hirakawa says there have been no reported collisions on that stretch of roadway.

Green Lake is one of the city's most popular parks, attracting thousands of people daily. One of its most popular features is the 2.8-mile path around the lake, a draw for runners, bikers, skaters and walkers. The park is also popular for its athletic fields and boating, picnics and swimming.

Q: Motorists who have been watching all the road work along Southeast Renton-Issaquah Road at 148th Avenue Southeast in the May Valley area have been wondering if the work will ever come to an end. It seems work has dragged on for ages, says Renton resident Claudia Donnelly.

Area residents have been told traffic signals are to be installed at the intersection, and there's been work to widen Southeast Renton-Issaquah Road, also known as Highway 900, and install new turn lanes.

Improvements are being made, residents have been told, to accommodate new residential developments under construction in that area. And the project, the developments and the road work, is in the hands of developers.

Donnelly just wonders how much longer it'll take. Last year, developers worked on the intersection during the winter months. And just a few days ago, she said, contractors were installing "some concrete things" in a ditch on the north side of a right-of-way.

At the rate the contractor is moving, says Donnelly, it wouldn't surprise her if it takes another year before the intersection gets the traffic signal.

A: Anything is possible, but spokespeople for the developers paying for the road work say things should be wrapped up by mid-August. Three private developers who have single-family residential projects in the area are working on road improvements mandated by the state and county after environmental reviews.

All required permits have been issued, and now it's just a matter of getting the work done, says project manager Sara Slatten of CamWest Development, the lead developer for the project. CamWest's new development, Shamrock Heights, is nearby.

It's true, the project is behind schedule, for red-tape reasons CamWest folk would rather not go into. It should have been finished about eight months ago. Developers say they, too, are eager for the end. "We are so anxious to be done with that project," says Slatten.

Work has been in the works since May of last year. Besides new intersection signals, work includes new street lights and right-turn pockets from Highway 900 to 148th Avenue Southeast in both directions, says Monte Dunn, construction manager for CamWest. He says all grading is finished, underground conduits and electrical systems are in, and paving is almost complete and should be finished within about a week.

If all goes well, signal poles and lights should be in by the end of this month.

Because it is an ackward intersection, Dunn says crossing Southeast Renton-Issaquah Road as well as turning onto the highway from 148th Avenue Southeast should be much safer when the $1 million project is finished.

Q: North Seattle resident Joseph Brown has been trying to figure out the rules-of-the-road for four-way stops in neighborhoods around his home. "My understanding . . . was that in an unmarked four-way intersection you always yield to the right."

But in some North Seattle neighborhoods, he says, there seems to be a different, unwritten rule. Instead of yielding to the right, you yield to the wider road. So, if a car is traveling on a road that is wider, does it have the right-of-way?

What about when the difference in width is nearly imperceptible? And does the same unwritten rule apply to hills? It seems, he says, that the car traveling up or down a hill assumes the informal right-of-way.

What does the law say?

A: Seattle transportation department spokesman Gregg Hirakawa points to a state statute that says when two vehicles approach or enter an intersection from different directions at about the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left is supposed to yield to the vehicle on the right.

So that makes Brown's understanding right.

Q: Who would have thought The Vatican would come out with a "Ten Commandments" for drivers, to warn of the sins of road rage, abuse of alcohol or simple rudeness?

It is, indeed, an unusual document from The Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. And it's caught readers' attention. A number have commented online on The Times' Reader Feedback page.

One local, who identified himself only as Jason of Redmond, couldn't resist pointing out the sin of slow drivers in the fast lane. His opinion: "If you see a car coming up fast behind you, move right. If you don't and they honk or flash their brights, just remember that you're the one that's in the wrong."

Then he pointed to state statutes that deal with keeping to the right, except when passing. Here's what state law says:

•Upon all roadways having two or more lanes for traffic moving in the same direction, all vehicles shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, or when traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow.

•It is a traffic infraction to drive continuously in the left lane of a multi-lane roadway when it impedes the flow of other traffic.

But does that mean drivers in the left-hand "fast lane" are free to exceed the posted speed limit, or honk or flash lights for other drivers to move out of the way?

A: Here's a Washington State Patrol spokesman's take on the fast-lane question, and his interpretation of the state statute: Trooper Jeff Merrill says if you see a car coming up fast behind you, you should, indeed, move to the right.

But drivers should keep in mind that it's also unlawful to honk your horn or flash your lights or tailgate just to get someone to change lanes. Merrill says those sins also are outlawed, and a driver can be cited.

"It is often these very actions that incite road rage incidents," he said. But keep in mind, too, that the posted speed limit is the legal limit for all drivers, even those in the fast lane. Speeders could be cited.

The short answer, says Merrill, is when at all possible, drivers should try to drive in lanes to the right of the fast lane.

"We have to apply some common sense when interpreting these laws," he said. "It gets more difficult in urban traffic, where there are lots of cars and limited capacity to put them."

"This law is intended to expedite the flow of traffic by encouraging vehicles to remain in the right-most lanes."

Merrill says if you choose to drive in the left lane and you travel at a speed that impede five or more vehicles, you can be cited for impeding traffic. He says state troopers have cited drivers for being too slow in the fast lane. But Merrill says you shouldn't drive too slow in other lanes, either.

So, what should you do if you encounter problems in the fast lane? Merrill says call 911. "We will be happy to assist in the re-education of these drivers that can and do create additional frustration in our challenging traffic commutes."

Q: Brian Hernandez of Renton has been wondering why the Mercer Street exit from northbound and southbound Interstate 5 is known as that.

"As far as I can tell, between Seattle Center and I-5, Mercer Street is a one-way arterial that heads eastbound towards the freeway, and therefore it is not possible to get to Mercer Street from the off-ramp without circling the block," he pointed out. "Wouldn't it be more accurate to sign this exit as Fairview Avenue North, or even just 'Seattle Center'?"

A: Exit 167 has always been known as the Mercer Street exit, says Darrel Whyte, the state transportation department's special projects engineer.

Perhaps, here's the reason: Originally, drivers coming from I-5 could continue west onto Mercer Street, which is directly opposite the ramp. The majority of traffic headed to Seattle Center used Mercer Street, so the interchange was identified as the Mercer Street exit.

In the mid-70's, the city of Seattle made changes to a number of streets around south Lake Union. Mercer Street became a one-way eastbound street for traffic toward the freeway. Westbound traffic headed to Seattle Center was routed to Valley Street, which leads into Broad Street.

"Because drivers knew the interchange as the Mercer Street exit, we did not change the name after the streets were changed," he said.

So, though off-ramp traffic is no longer able to continue onto Mercer Street, it still serves as a useful geographic landmark and namesake for the interchange, says Whyte.

Those headed to Fairview Avenue North or Seattle Center are left to make the connection.

Q: It didn't take very long for Tami Terreson to get a fix for a problem she pointed out just a week ago. She wanted to know how she'd go about requesting someone with the city of Seattle to mow grass and weeds near the southwest corner of Northgate's shopping mall, to give motorists better visibility of traffic, particularly when there's traffic that might have the right-of-way.

She noted that drivers heading south on First Avenue Northeast to enter the express lanes at Northeast 103rd Street are required to yield to vehicles entering the express lanes from either 103rd Street or traffic northbound on First Avenue Northeast, turning left to the express lane on-ramp.

"The problem is that there are grass and weeds that obstruct the drivers going south from seeing approaching vehicle as they begin to merge onto the on-ramp," she said.

A: Within about a day, Terreson, of Shoreline, says she had received a phone call from a city worker letting her know that the area she was requesting to be mowed was under the jurisdiction of the state transportation department, and who she should contact to get the problem resolved.

"This morning when I drove to work," she said Wednesday, "the (transportation department) was out preparing the area to mow. I am so impressed with the follow-through."

By the time she passed by again, headed for home, the work had been done.

Q: When a police radar gun and a car's GPS [Global Positioning System] device disagree as to the speed you are driving, which reading prevails? Without explaining why he wants to know, that's what Mike Jared of Mercer Island asked.

A: That would most likely be a question for a court to decide. "If you contest a ticket based on what your GPS says, typically a court would determine whether to admit evidence of a traffic radar after determining that the radar was properly calibrated and readings reliable, and a similar test would apply to GPS-based evidence," said Mercer Island's city attorney, Bob Sterbank. But he says he's not aware of any cases where a court has considered the GPS as evidence of speed.

Speed measuring devices such as radar and laser guns used by law enforcment agencies to determine vehicular speed are calibrated and checked by certified technicians on a regular basis, as required by law, to insure their accuracy, says Jeff Merrill of the Washington State Patrol.

"The courts in this state have taken judicial notice that if procedures are followed correctly, then the court accepts them as accurate instruments for measuring speed," he said. And, it's a good guess that your GPS readings wouldn't trump those standards.

Q: Karen C., who recently moved back to this area after seven years in Southern California — by choice, she says — has been comparing traffic here and there.

"Surprisingly enough, when people ask me which of the two areas has the better traffic, I immediately declare that I found it much easier to get around in Southern Cal than Seattle.

"Granted, I may have had to travel twice as far, but I would take their long, straight, eight-lane highways any day over my daily stop-and-go, two-lane commute."

It seems, she says, that roads and highways here, including those on the Eastside, did not change while she was away, even though population may have increased significantly.

In Southern California, she notes, toll roads all use a transponder system, a little sticker similar to a bar code that attaches to vehicle windows to allow an embedded electronic chip to be scanned from a distance away, "and it works with all of the toll roads so there's no hassle or stress."

She sees the transponders and an automatic debit payment system as an easy way for motorists to "fast-lane it" onto an expressway, and also pay the bill.

"My question surrounds the new toll transponders that this state's transportation department has procured for the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge," she said. "Is the department going to consider rolling these transponders out statewide, let's say, for the potential Highway 520 bridge toll and other future projects?

"If so, what was the criteria and process for selecting the vendor of the transponder technology and hardware?"

A: The Department of Transportation here plans to use the "Good To Go!" electronic toll collection program on all state toll bridges and highways, says the DOT's Janet Matkin. Once a motorist sets up a Good To Go! account, it can be used wherever the Good To Go! logo is displayed.

The new Tacoma Narrows Bridge that opens in July will be the first to use the system. But it will also be used when high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes open on Highway 167 between Renton and Auburn next year. The HOT lanes will allow solo drivers to pay a toll to use the HOV lanes when there is available space for more capacity.

The system this state will use will have a little sticker about the size of a credit card, that includes the electronic chip. The sticker is designed to be placed on a windshield, and read by an overhead antenna affixed near the toll booth or over the HOV lane. The sticker is linked to a prepaid account and each use automatically deducts from that account.

"We competitively selected the Good To Go! windshield transponders for several reasons. They are by far the least expensive option available, both initially and over the long term, because there is no battery to replace," said Matkin. All other proposed transponders require the battery or the transponder to be replaced every five to seven years, leading to significantly greater costs for the state, and ultimately for the consumer, she said.

Good To Go! also offers a license-plate-mounted transponder in a hard plastic case for those who can't, or don't want to attach a sticker to their windshields.

Information on the system, and how people can sign up for it, is on the state's Web site: www.wsdot.wa.gov/goodtogo.

Q: Sammamish resident Ann Kruse says she and her husband visited Fort Defiance Park near Tacoma for the first time recently. Headed on North Pearl Street toward Highway 16 (the Tacoma Narrows Bridge highway) to return to the Seattle area, she became perplexed over which lane to be in to enter the freeway. "I saw no signage that indicated whether the freeway entrance would be on the right side or the left side of the road," she said. "We were in the right lane. Turns out that was a wrong guess. Entering the freeway requires being in the left lanes."

The two left lanes are turn lanes onto Highway 16, while a third lane is for through traffic.

Kruse says the only sign that indicates the left turn is just short of the freeway entrance, and its visibility is obscured by a pole, "at least if you are in the right lane, as we were."

Fortunately, she says, traffic was light and she was able to make the lane change without difficulty. "If traffic were heavier, it would have been a problem," she said. "I would like to suggest that there be signage earlier that informs drivers that the freeway entrance will require a left turn."

A: Steve Bennett, the state transportation department's traffic operations engineer, says the department took a closer look at that spot, but has no plans to install another sign at this time "because there is no room to install an advance sign."

But he says the transportation department will see if the existing sign can be made more visible.

Q: In his daily commute between Seattle and Bellevue, Seattle resident Dave Wong constantly observes drivers playing the odds between the two metered on-ramps to southbound Interstate 405 at Northeast Eighth Street in Bellevue.

"Not sure if there is a rhyme or reason," he says, "but there are times when one meter frees cars faster than the other, even though there is about the same amount of cars lined up in both lanes."

It's often a toss-up which meter is faster, he said. And that keeps some drivers jockeying between the two lanes.

A: Those ramp meters automatically adjust their timing, based on how heavy traffic is on the freeway, to maximize traffic flow on both the freeway and the on-ramp, says Martin Dedinsky, the state Department of Transportation's freeway operations engineer.

Traffic engineers monitor the ramp meters from a traffic-management center in Shoreline, and can turn the meters on or off and adjust meter timing when needed.

In Bellevue, rapid growth is producing increasingly heavy traffic at the Northeast Fourth and Northeast Eighth Street on-ramps, as well as on I-405 through the downtown area. Traffic is especially heavy during the evening commute, as regular commuters will attest.

"Our challenge is to adjust the ramp meters as much as possible to benefit I-405 traffic, without causing ramp traffic to back up onto city streets, increasing the risk of collisions," said Dedinsky. "We will continue to monitor the ramp closely and look for ways to improve traffic flow."

Q: The five-way intersection at Boyer Avenue East and East Lynn Street in Seattle's Montlake neighborhood is a bit confusing to resident Sarah Hugenberger, and she suspects she's not alone.

"All five streets have stop signs, but the intersection is quite spread out and there is a large island in the center with plantings that are tall enough to block a clear view of other cars," she said. "I treat this intersection like a rotary (circle), which are quite common where I'm from on the East Coast. After stopping, I enter the intersection as long as there is no one already in the circle who would be cut off.

"This means that I am essentially yielding to cars approaching from my left and sometimes I will even enter the intersection before someone else who was there first."

Hugenberger figures that is the proper way to navigate a traffic circle. But, says she, "I have received a few horn blows from people who clearly believe this should be treated as a normal five-way stop where we all take turns. The problem is that it is difficult to take turns when drivers cannot see all the other cars queue up. How is this intersection supposed to be handled?"

A: That intersection should be treated as an all-way stop, says Wayne Wentz, the Seattle Department of Transportation's traffic management director. The planted median in the center does not denote that the intersection functions as a rotary.

He says the stop signs are the primary means of traffic control at that intersection, so they should be obeyed. Motorists should not enter the intersection until the vehicle already through the intersection has safely cleared it.

Wentz says the landscaping at that median island has been trimmed recently to improve sight distance, "so there should not be a problem observing vehicles at other approaches."

Q: Jennifer Jackson and her boyfriend both ride Harleys, all over and often. "We are very comfortable riding side-by-side down the freeway and other roads, just like the motorcycle police do," says she.

"I've asked several friends who ride whether or not this is legal. No one seems to know for sure and I can't find an answer on any state Web site."

So, Jackson, of Kent, wants the bottom line about side-by-side motorcycle riding. And if it's legal, does that go for all roads, or only certain types of roads on this state?

A: It's legal for two motorcycle riders to ride side-by-side, says Brad Benfield of the state Department of Licensing. However, he says, the DOL strongly discourages riding side-by-side because it isn't safe.

The Motorcycle Operator Manual, the guide the licensing department uses to test riders applying for motorcycle endorsements, says this: "Don't pair up. Never operate directly alongside another rider. There is no place to go if you have to avoid a car or something on the road. To talk, wait until you are both stopped."