Q: On Oregon 211, approaching the intersection with Dubarko Road in Sandy, there are some odd road markings that looked like hash marks on a football field. What are they?

A:

ODOT's playing with your mind – and your speed.

Those markings are called "optical speed bars." Basically, they're a low-cost road-safety feature wrapped in a magic trick.

is known for nasty speed-related crashes. The white thermoplastic stripes are supposed to create a visual effect that prompts drivers to slow down.

Painted inside the yellow median line and the fog line, each bar is a foot wide and 18 inches long. Approaching the intersection, they're spaced at gradually decreasing intervals.

Abra-car-dabra! The lines make a driver think the automobile is going faster than it is. The impulse is to brake.

But do they really work? David Thompson, an

spokesman, said traffic engineers are still collecting data to compare to information gathered before the speed bars were installed.

"The posted speed limit through the area is 45 mph," Thompson said, "but vehicles generally travel at speeds greater than 55 mph."

However, optical speed bars have popped up on roads in other states since 2006. Studies in Kansas and Virginia have shown they do reduce average speeds by up to 5 mph, depending on the location.

If ODOT sees a noticeable reduction in speeds at Oregon 211 and Dubarko, the agency will likely begin using the tactic on other problematic roads across the state.

The intersection is in a dip in the terrain, meaning southbound and northbound drivers are coming down hills. When I visited it earlier this week, I saw a lot of brake lights as drivers entered the illusion zone.

Personally, the lines didn't have much of an effect on me. Of course, I was reluctant to push the speedometer much past 45. Watch the video and let me know what you think.

Q: I was ticketed in Beaverton for looking at directions on an iPhone map while stopped at a red light. The officer said it violated the state law against using a communication device while operating a motor vehicle. The traffic court judge agreed. The judge said I can turn my map on and off, but sliding my finger across the screen is illegal. Any thoughts?

A:

In Oregon, you can't drive while texting or talking on a handheld cellphone. That's crystal clear.

Now, if there were only an app to help us decode the squishier areas of the state's so-called "handsfree law." Frankly, with mobile technology evolving quicker than the Legislature meets, you're just as likely to find guidance in a

marathon than in the law's topsy-turvy wording.

Hard Drive

Joseph Rose

covers commuting for The Oregonian and writes

.

Under the law, drivers are permitted to use "a function of the device" behind the wheel. So, you can legally snap a photo. Just don't email it. If your phone is plugged into your car stereo, it's OK to hold it to play music stored on the device. You can call up

latest album and hit play with impunity while cruising down Walker Road. (I would advise against it -- both the gadget-fiddling and the Nickelback-listening.)

But in this case, the traffic cop and the judge appear to have interpreted

correctly.

Using your hands to navigate with an iPhone map – as opposed to mounting it on the dashboard and letting it give you turn-by-turn audio directions – goes beyond mere function.

If you're sliding your finger across the screen to send and receive data while driving – whether it's posting a Facebook update or interacting with a GPS satellite for directions – you are illegally "using a mobile communication device."

"Even if there's just a robot on other end," said Michael O'Brien, a Tigard Municipal Court judge who pro tems in Beaverton, "that's a violation." And just because you're stopped at a traffic light doesn't mean you're exempt from the handsfree restrictions, O'Brien said. You're still in traffic.

Of course, if you're convinced that you weren't communicating with your iPhone while driving, you can check your monthly bill. It may keep track of all of your data usage. If you're innocent, there will be dead air at the time of the traffic stop.

Of course, unless you're appealing the ticket, that information probably doesn't help you now.

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