Washington driving lesson · Parking and Transporting
Towing, loads, animals, ferries, and beaches
A 3-minute lesson from the Washington course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Whatever you carry becomes your responsibility: a trailer, a load in the truck bed, or a pet. Washington also has two unusual kinds of road: the state ferry system, part of the highway network, and ocean beaches you can legally drive on in two counties.
If you tow a boat, trailer, or camper, follow all guidelines on:
Driving with an unsecured load is against the law and extremely dangerous. Loose items can fly out, slide, shift, or fall onto the road and cause a crash.
It's illegal to transport an animal outside a vehicle, such as in a truck bed, without a protective harness or enclosure that keeps it from jumping or falling out.
If you're taken into custody, an officer can take charge of animals in your vehicle, and you must pay a fee to collect them. Loose animals or one on the driver's lap are a distraction.
On the beach, pedestrians and bicyclists have the right-of-way at all times. Enter only through marked beach approaches and drive only on hard-packed sand.
Your dog loves riding in the back of your pickup. Before you drive, put it in a protective enclosure or secure it with a harness so it can't jump or fall out; riding loose in the bed is illegal.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
How should large objects be secured in a vehicle or trailer?
Weighted down by other cargo
Wedged only against other cargo
Left unsecured if under 50 pounds
Tied to the vehicle or trailer
Answer: Tied to the vehicle or trailer
Tie large objects directly to your vehicle or trailer to secure your load.