Nope! Cars and bikes have different traffic laws. Where I live what the cyclist did is perfectly legal because they only have to yield but not stop and they expected the car to stop as it should have.
Just to be clear, this is different states by state. Some states allow a yield at a stop sign for cyclists. Some require a strict stop like ant other vehicle on the road. There may even be stricter city ordinances too. Know your local laws before cycling through a stop.
As a cyclist it is safer to yield because bikes can’t speed up quickly from a stop. If we maintain speed it’s easier to get out of the way if we need to.
If you don’t stop you would be putting yourself in danger in the intersection, stopping allows you to see the dangers and account for them.
If you’re a stopped, the only danger is from behind you at the stop sign. You’re avoiding the danger ahead in the intersection and can now time it appropriately to get through.
How is not stopping at intersections safer? A car can’t also make a maneuver while stopped…. The same logic you’re using is the same for cars, so bikes shouldn’t be singled out and allowed for that reason.
I would love a source for this “being safer”. You keep saying this, and are the only one, provide data to back it up, because it’s bullshit.
Driving and sharing the road is about being predictable, ignoring traffic signs is the most unpredictably thing you can do. Your suggesting is an extremely dangerous way to share the road.
A bicycle at a full stop is slower in restoring their speed. This means they are taking longer to clear the intersection than if they’d just yielded. Being in an intersection is always fundamentally more dangerous than not being in an intersection.
And if there are cars also stopped at the intersection, they’re now waiting longer than if the cyclist had gone through. So a cyclist is holding up traffic and putting themselves at greater risk of someone blowing the stop sign (either from not paying attention or from weird road rage authority trips like OP) for no reason.
I do agree that the most important thing in driving is being predictable. However, 11 states have yield-at-stop laws on the books. In those states, yielding is the predictable behavior for a bicyclist and it is dangerous for a driver to assume a cyclist will come to a full stop. Everyone operating a vehicle of any kind on a public road needs to be alert, cautious, and aware of local laws.
Most people are only going like 10 to 15 mph on a bike. That’s plenty of time to see the entire intersection as you approach. When I was 15 my back tire got hit by speeding car that ignored the sign. It was really scary and if I hadn’t stopped before crossing I would have been going faster and not gotten hit. That’s why when I look ahead, which I have plenty of time to do, I just go through, plus it’s entirely legal too.
Depends on the intersection, my city has tons of blind intersections due to walled communities everywhere. You can see ahead of you but can’t see the cross streets
I agree with that. Not directed at you, but I assumed people would realize that going through the stop sign is only really done at intersections that have good visibility (and low traffic, obviously if a lot of cars are around you’d probably have to stop) and I think I may have assumed wrong.
My state updated their rules just three years ago. As a cyclist I have noticed a lot of drivers are unaware of this. It’s possible there is recent legislation you are unaware of.
Here in Georgia bicycles are legally classified as vehicles (OCGA 40-6-291) and are required to obey all traffic signs and signals. They also require bicycles stopped at intersections to signal which way they are going, but they never seem to do that here.
To be fair, I assumed it was that way everywhere. Was Idaho the first state to legalize that? (Asking because I’m seeing it referenced as an ‘Idaho stop’ when searching. That aside, thank you for encouraging me to double check, normally I keep an eye out on changing traffic laws (like the GA slow poke law), but I’m sure I need to reread the book again sometime.
The above post states this occurred at a stop sign and not at a light. They used the words “in my neighborhood” implying that this is also a residential area where there would be less traffic.
Stop signs are no different. Traffic or no traffic, you heed the sign. Only losers blow past the stop sign without stopping. I also use my turn signal when no one is around. It’s just what a good and safe driver does. Because muscle memory and good habits save lives in the end. At least they prevent accidents.
I think the main difference is, in places like the Netherlands especially in low-traffic neighborhoods, they would build yield signage rather than stop signs. America has a lot more of the latter, primarily because of the abundance of speed-demon cars.
I think you missed the point about cyclists having different traffic laws. In fact the reason why the have it is for safety. A bike can’t speed up quickly like a motor vehicle can so it’s safer to maintain speed when possible.
Source? Moving is dangerous, not moving at a stop sign the only danger is from behind, so logically what you’re saying doesn’t even make sense. And i doubt there’s any study to support that.
They changed the law probably mainly so they wouldn’t have to waste time ticketing, it’s very rarely ever about safety.
Also, my old civic can’t accelerate fast, most bikes accelerate faster, so… that can’t be the reasoning. Lots of cars accelerate slowly and e-bikes accelerate faster than fast cars.
In the EU we have sensible rules where predictability trumps bullshit like that. Predictability is an extremely important factor for safety. Speeding up isn’t an important factor lol, I’ve never heard such a silly rationale for allowing a certain vehicle to break the rules. What the actual fuck. 'Murica though, right? 😂
Have you read your state code on the subject? Laws tend to be written with very specific language to cover edge cases and exceptions. “Following the same rules” is rarely the law as implemented.
If you’re comfortable sharing your state or province I’ll look up the statute for you if you’re interested.
The most dangerous place for cyclists is the middle of an intersection. Bicycles do not have A pillars, and thus no blind spots. If the intersection is clear, the cyclist should continue through without stopping to leave the intersection faster. Bicycles are slow to start, and can only take evasive actions while in motion. So its much safer to not stop.
Those laws are good and make cyclists safer. Some places may have different laws, but any law telling cyclists to stop at all stop signs should be disregarded. Ensuring your own safety is far more important than appeasing bureaucrats.
Edit: Just re-read my own local traffic laws and cyclists can legally treat stop signs as yeild signs here too!
Everyone is an asshole here, blowing through red lights. Fuck everyone involved. Nothing to do with cars or bikes. I’m pissed.
Nope! Cars and bikes have different traffic laws. Where I live what the cyclist did is perfectly legal because they only have to yield but not stop and they expected the car to stop as it should have.
Just to be clear, this is different states by state. Some states allow a yield at a stop sign for cyclists. Some require a strict stop like ant other vehicle on the road. There may even be stricter city ordinances too. Know your local laws before cycling through a stop.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
As a cyclist it is safer to yield because bikes can’t speed up quickly from a stop. If we maintain speed it’s easier to get out of the way if we need to.
I have never bought this argument. I don’t believe it’s safer to blow through a stop sign. It’s just inconvenient to have to stop.
Cyclists also have a much, much better overview of the situation than a car driver in their isolated cabin with all the blind spots.
If you don’t stop you would be putting yourself in danger in the intersection, stopping allows you to see the dangers and account for them.
If you’re a stopped, the only danger is from behind you at the stop sign. You’re avoiding the danger ahead in the intersection and can now time it appropriately to get through.
How is not stopping at intersections safer? A car can’t also make a maneuver while stopped…. The same logic you’re using is the same for cars, so bikes shouldn’t be singled out and allowed for that reason.
I would love a source for this “being safer”. You keep saying this, and are the only one, provide data to back it up, because it’s bullshit.
Driving and sharing the road is about being predictable, ignoring traffic signs is the most unpredictably thing you can do. Your suggesting is an extremely dangerous way to share the road.
A bicycle at a full stop is slower in restoring their speed. This means they are taking longer to clear the intersection than if they’d just yielded. Being in an intersection is always fundamentally more dangerous than not being in an intersection.
And if there are cars also stopped at the intersection, they’re now waiting longer than if the cyclist had gone through. So a cyclist is holding up traffic and putting themselves at greater risk of someone blowing the stop sign (either from not paying attention or from weird road rage authority trips like OP) for no reason.
I do agree that the most important thing in driving is being predictable. However, 11 states have yield-at-stop laws on the books. In those states, yielding is the predictable behavior for a bicyclist and it is dangerous for a driver to assume a cyclist will come to a full stop. Everyone operating a vehicle of any kind on a public road needs to be alert, cautious, and aware of local laws.
Most people are only going like 10 to 15 mph on a bike. That’s plenty of time to see the entire intersection as you approach. When I was 15 my back tire got hit by speeding car that ignored the sign. It was really scary and if I hadn’t stopped before crossing I would have been going faster and not gotten hit. That’s why when I look ahead, which I have plenty of time to do, I just go through, plus it’s entirely legal too.
Depends on the intersection, my city has tons of blind intersections due to walled communities everywhere. You can see ahead of you but can’t see the cross streets
I agree with that. Not directed at you, but I assumed people would realize that going through the stop sign is only really done at intersections that have good visibility (and low traffic, obviously if a lot of cars are around you’d probably have to stop) and I think I may have assumed wrong.
Where I live bicycles and cars have to follow the same rules.
My state updated their rules just three years ago. As a cyclist I have noticed a lot of drivers are unaware of this. It’s possible there is recent legislation you are unaware of.
Here in Georgia bicycles are legally classified as vehicles (OCGA 40-6-291) and are required to obey all traffic signs and signals. They also require bicycles stopped at intersections to signal which way they are going, but they never seem to do that here.
To be fair, I assumed it was that way everywhere. Was Idaho the first state to legalize that? (Asking because I’m seeing it referenced as an ‘Idaho stop’ when searching. That aside, thank you for encouraging me to double check, normally I keep an eye out on changing traffic laws (like the GA slow poke law), but I’m sure I need to reread the book again sometime.
Here in the EU, bikes have a lot of places where they get special treatment, but blowing through red lights isn’t one of them.
The above post states this occurred at a stop sign and not at a light. They used the words “in my neighborhood” implying that this is also a residential area where there would be less traffic.
Stop signs are no different. Traffic or no traffic, you heed the sign. Only losers blow past the stop sign without stopping. I also use my turn signal when no one is around. It’s just what a good and safe driver does. Because muscle memory and good habits save lives in the end. At least they prevent accidents.
I think the main difference is, in places like the Netherlands especially in low-traffic neighborhoods, they would build yield signage rather than stop signs. America has a lot more of the latter, primarily because of the abundance of speed-demon cars.
I think you missed the point about cyclists having different traffic laws. In fact the reason why the have it is for safety. A bike can’t speed up quickly like a motor vehicle can so it’s safer to maintain speed when possible.
Source? Moving is dangerous, not moving at a stop sign the only danger is from behind, so logically what you’re saying doesn’t even make sense. And i doubt there’s any study to support that.
They changed the law probably mainly so they wouldn’t have to waste time ticketing, it’s very rarely ever about safety.
Also, my old civic can’t accelerate fast, most bikes accelerate faster, so… that can’t be the reasoning. Lots of cars accelerate slowly and e-bikes accelerate faster than fast cars.
I didn’t miss it.
In the EU we have sensible rules where predictability trumps bullshit like that. Predictability is an extremely important factor for safety. Speeding up isn’t an important factor lol, I’ve never heard such a silly rationale for allowing a certain vehicle to break the rules. What the actual fuck. 'Murica though, right? 😂
Have you read your state code on the subject? Laws tend to be written with very specific language to cover edge cases and exceptions. “Following the same rules” is rarely the law as implemented.
If you’re comfortable sharing your state or province I’ll look up the statute for you if you’re interested.
Oh definitely. Georgia, USA, the relevant bit should be https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-40/chapter-6/article-13/part-1/section-40-6-291/:
“The provisions of this chapter that apply to vehicles, but not exclusively to motor vehicles, shall apply to bicycles, except as provided in this Code section and except that the penalties prescribed in subsection (b) of Code Section 40-6-390, subsection © of Code Section 40-6-391, and subsection (a) of Code Section 40-6-393 shall not apply to persons riding bicycles.”
The most dangerous place for cyclists is the middle of an intersection. Bicycles do not have A pillars, and thus no blind spots. If the intersection is clear, the cyclist should continue through without stopping to leave the intersection faster. Bicycles are slow to start, and can only take evasive actions while in motion. So its much safer to not stop.
Those laws are good and make cyclists safer. Some places may have different laws, but any law telling cyclists to stop at all stop signs should be disregarded. Ensuring your own safety is far more important than appeasing bureaucrats.
Edit: Just re-read my own local traffic laws and cyclists can legally treat stop signs as yeild signs here too!
I dislike bike riders who are assholes. This isn’t that.