RE: Parking lot Racing

[Bob Kegel <bobkegel@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 01 Dec 1998, at 11:13:47 -0800,Chris Barton wrote:

>I was told by a local Sheriff once that while Traffic laws are NOT
>enforceable in private property areas it's pretty much the norm that the
>owners will file a form with the city during the planning stages of
>building that ALLOW traffic laws to be enforced on their land.
>(Specifically I was asking about not stopping for a stop sign in a mall)

Traffic laws generally referred to as "rules of the road" generally apply
only to highways. A highway is defined by WA state law, for example, as "
the entire width between the boundary lines of every way publicly
maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of the public for
purposes of vehicular travel." There may be statutory excerptions. In WA
accident reporting laws and  laws prohibiting reckless driving. negligent
driving, and drunk driving are enforceable off public highways. All motor
vehicles operated in WA, whether on or off the road, must have liability
insurance coverage.

Laying out your own race track, on someone else's property, without the
safety measures we take for granted at driver's school could be construed
as "willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property" and
that's what reckless driving is.

Obviously, YMMV. A good on-line source for US laws, including traffic
codes, is <http://www.findlaw.com>
Bob Kegel
'70 2002
'85 635 CSi
BMW CCA #135175
BMW ACA Puget Sound Region #4697

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