In response to the Dec. 13 letter regarding passing stopped school buses: I did look it up and sure enough it is legal in Washington state to pass a stopped school bus if you are going the opposite direction on a street with three traffic lanes. However, traffic laws vary from state-to-state, they are usually written to be vague and confusing, they change constantly and just because something is legal doesn’t necessarily mean that you can get away with it. Talk to some of the people who have gotten tickets for going through yellow lights or for “failing to yield to a pedestrian” who was already across the street when the car passed through the intersection.

Please be patient with those of us who are now paranoid after receiving totally unjustified traffic tickets and are now following the basic common sense defensive driving rule – when in doubt, don’t. The fine in Washington state for illegally passing a stopped school bus is $394, I looked that up too, and the city of Kirkland needs to pay for that wonderful new jail going in behind Fred Meyer and across the street from the Christian school.

Jane Peterson, Kirkland