Hi all, I've got a potential lead on a job in Seattle and wanted to hear what the car laws are like way up there. I'm pretty spoiled coming from a relatively small town in the SE where I don't get much attention from johnny law. I also don't see how y'all (<-- it's a southern thing) can afford to buy a house either, prices are more than 2x what a house costs here. This would be a really long way to move and I'm trying to look at all the angles.

 

Where are you coming from?

Make sure you can deal with a drastic (most likely) change in weather that you are not used to.

I moved from Florida to Seattle 3 months ago for work (money, in short) - it's been okay but I won't be here forever that's for sure!

I got rid of my Evo before the cross country move and just drive a stock TL Type S (Vt@k yo) for now, so I couldn't tell you much about the car laws.

I believe there is emissions checks though

 

Cops here are not as bad as what I'm used to. They are tough on speeding. Depends were you end up living around Seattle. I live in Kitsap county which has NO yearly emission or safety checks. I moved here 2 years ago from HI which is a pretty big change. I got used to it because I grew up in OH, but my wife isn't used to it yet. Seattle area has alot to do and see. If you live outside the city you will find cheaper housing.

 

Kitsap county is cool...the cops never even pay attention to me. Wheres abouts you moving too, I see alot of people moving over here to work at the shipyards and such. I also moved from a country oriented small town place (80acre ranch to be exact and a population of 8000 people ) and you cant even get 2acres for the same price and all the rain can be tiresome but it is a beautiful place when its not raining

 

Yeah no safety checks and bi-yearly emissions.
Cops really don't care what you put on your car, just watch your speed and stop at all signs and lights thats all.
oh yeah and make sure not to drive around without valid license and insurance. They like to come behind you and check your tabs too

 

Well, nothing is set in stone just yet so the move may not even happen, I'm just trying to figure out if I am even willing to do it. I grew up in FL and even living "way up here" in North AL was as far as I thought I'd go. If it did happen, the job is (I believe) in downtown Seattle. I don't think the temperature is a problem for me, but the constant drizzle might be. The main issue is money I think. The cost of living is so much higher in Seattle, it may not be feasible to go for it at all.

 

What they didn't mension are the stupid drivers, the worst traffic in North America, miserable freeway design, constant traffic jams, and no one yields in the fast lanes ever. Downtown is miserable driving. Peds always have right of way, and you constantly have people yapping on their phones walking across the street without even looking. There's no over pass style crosswalks, so stop and go is very bad here. After living in Seattle for the last 10 years, there is no way I would ever recommend this place to anyone. I hate it personally.

 

Yea forgot to mention what he said. It is flat scary and the most irratating place to drive. Out of Seattle is not bad though. Definately dont drive a nice car in Seattle, you have like at least a 40% chance of being hit or bumped into

 

we have the worst traffic in america? no way, i guarantee I-5 and 405 through LA is worse than I-5 and 405 through Seattle, even I-5 in the little town of Portland is worse than here. I think a little traffic and a little rain shouldn't turn someone off, because Seattle is a great place to live.

 

+1

 

You will hate it, stay home, please.

 

We used to be #2, not sure what we are now, I can't seem to find the stats. Having carpool lanes that hardly anybody uses doesn't help, and whoever invented traffic lights on on-ramps should be hung(hanged). Plus we are not trained to drive on freeways (I only had to go 60 miles when I took driving class), we are trained to drive on side streets and intersections. So you have most people who have no clue how to merge, and enter freeways at 45mph, on there cell phones, and they look over at the last possible second, "oh am I merging now? Get out of MY way". Plus for some reason, people think when they exit the freeway, they have to slow down or slam on there brakes while ON the freeway to EXIT the freeway. So , of course, everyone behind that idiot has to slow down...

 

I used to live in Seattle area for 4 years. I like it over there. Now, I live in Fresno, CA for 3 years. I got 17 tickets when I was in Seattle, WA and I got 2 tickets here in Fresno. Just becareful about speeding. However, I still love Seattle. I might move back again to Seattle someday depending my life and jobs avaliablity.

 

Damn 17 tickets Those little white signs that say MPH are there for a reason

 

I moved to Seattle for school a few years ago and loved it so much i never left. Before then i lived in Chicago and trust me, Seattle traffic is a breeze in comparison.

The weather is one of the best parts of living here, its never too hot, never too cold. If you dont mind 70% of the year being overcast and a bit damp, then its the perfect place to live.

All the above is true about cops being hard on speeding, so as long as youre not heavy on the gas, youll be fine. It doesnt help that everyone around here seems to want to go below the speed limit, thus making you frustrated and wanting to go faster. You just need to resist the urge.