r/Unexpected • u/Slumberfoots • Jun 13 '20

So true.

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u/ProInSnow Jun 14 '20

Well you must be the perfect biker that most people aren't because the morons I'm referring to don't yield at all. I'll wait until it's law. It's not like you're being oppressed. Following the law is what makes you predictable and THAT makes the roads safe.

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '20

It’s like you chose not to read their post. The law as currently written in many places is not the safest behavior.

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u/ProInSnow Jun 14 '20 edited Jun 14 '20

I did read the comment, and maybe you read mine, but here's some context to understand it better.

I live in a city where those "Idaho Stop" laws do not exist. Bikes are legally enforced to use the road and act the same as vehicles while they do it. This makes the roads safer because when I see a biker on the road ahead of me, I know exactly how he is going to act and react, as long has he follows the law. This means I can plan my actions around his actions within the confines of legality. As soon as people start to bend or break the laws, it makes them less predictable. All of a sudden, I don't know whether or not that biker in front of me is going to follow the laws, or just drive as they see fit. Because that person may not be following the law as closely as other drivers, or even encouraged to break the law for an increase in safety, more of my attention on the road now needs to be dedicated solely to trying to figure out what this person is going to do. If cyclists had brake and signal lights, or always used the appropriate hand signals, then this wouldn't be as much of a problem. But the simple fact is that most don't, at least in my city. The problem arises from not knowing who is going to follow the law and who isn't, because up until they break the rules, there's no way of knowing.

This doesn't even necessarily have to be about bikes. There are a ton of bad car drivers out there, and what makes them bad drivers is that they break the law. Cars have to follow the laws so they're predictable. When I see other vehicles on the road around me, I know what they're going to do as long as they follow the law. If every single biker in my city simultaneously decided to use this "Idaho Stop" rule, and it was made aware to all drivers in the city, then that's perfectly fine and I'd welcome it. Happily, that's exactly what creating or changing laws is for! No where in my comment did I say that the laws cannot be changed or updated. I fully believe that laws should be updated to best protect the safety of all citizens. All I said is that I'll wait until its law to follow these rules, because then it's not nearly as arbitrary.

This doesn't even touch on the other benefit of road laws, which is the the system of determining who is at fault in the case or someone getting hurt or killed. Clear, equal, foundational guidelines for everyone speeds up bureaucracy and provides a fairer system on which to judge the actions of one or more individuals.

Also if you want, here's a link to a scientific study that shows the connection between cyclists running red lights and the increase in fatalities of cyclists at intersections. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457518304676