Heard of ‘rat-running?’ Some WA cities ban it. What to know about this driving shortcut
Depending on where you live, some might consider a driving strategy known as “rat-running” to be a life hack.
A life hack is loosely defined as any clever tactic in life someone uses to increase efficiency of a familiar task. Need to withdraw money but don’t want to pay an ATM service fee? Just purchase a small item and request cash back for free.
But some Washington state municipalities don’t allow rat-running.
Here’s what to know about the controversial roadway life hack.
What is rat-running?
Rat-running is a term used to describe a driving tactic where drivers pass through a residential street, gas station or parking lot at the corner of an intersection and exit out the other side to bypass a traffic signal, according to legal website AllLaw. The logic behind this maneuver is that drivers won’t have to wait for a red light to turn green.
Aside from the obvious safety risks of traffic passing through a parking lot or gas station, whether rat-running is legal varies depending on where you are.
Is rat-running illegal in WA state?
In many local jurisdictions, cutting corners is considered a driving infraction, AllLaw states. But Washington’s Revised Code doesn’t contain a statewide ban on the driving maneuver, according to Washington State Trooper John Dattilo.
“If the manner in which one is entering, driving through, or exiting the parking lot could be seen as dangerous, negligent or reckless, then we could probably stop and issue citations for whatever danger they were posing to the public,” Dattilo told The News Tribune via email.
He reminds drivers to know local law. “Cities and counties can enact local ordinances that would make such actions illegal.”
Which WA cities ban rat-running?
Some jurisdictions do enforce a no rat-running policy, such as the city of Snohomish. The city states in its traffic codes that cutting a corner is a traffic infraction. The cities of Enumclaw and Bellingham also enforce a statute about cutting a corner to avoid traffic lights. The city of Lakewood in Pierce County has a similar law, calling the violation an “avoidance of intersections.”
Tacoma’s Municipal Code doesn’t cite an ordinance under its Model Traffic section directed at rat-running or cutting through a parking lot to avoid a traffic signal. Other cities like Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Yakima, Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Spokane don’t mention rat-running in their local laws.
Be sure to check a city’s local municipal code to determine if using a gas station as a means to skip red lights is banned. Residents can check for any statutes referencing corner cutting under their city’s “Vehicles and Traffic” section of the municipal code.
Municipalities that ban rat-running might post signs near certain intersections warning drivers not to cut through parking lots or corner stores, Dattilo says.
This story was originally published August 9, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
