notfred

This comes up often around here, most typically with the argument about whether or not to stop for stop signs.

Personally, I stop at stop signs and stoplights if there is traffic there. If I come up to an empty intersection, I go right through it without stopping. The purpose of a stoplight it manage traffic so that people aren't crossing the intersection from two directions at once. If there's only one bike and nocars at an intersection, then you don't really need that management.

Another thing is headphones - it's illegal to ride with headphones here, and I don't ride with them, but only because I prefer to ride without them. I don't think that law makes anyone any safer. I see people riding with them all the time and they don't seem to be constantly getting in accidents.

Also, I'm breaking the law every time I ride at night, and so is everyone else in California who uses clipless pedals. That is, unless someone makes clipless pedals with reflectors on them. Same thing with not having a red reflector on the back of my bike. It doesn't matter that I have a flashing red light - I'm illegal without an actual reflector.

But personally, I don't really care. I tend to ride in a way that I feel is safe, not a way that's prescribed by a bunch of people in the capitol building that probably don't even ride bicycles. A lot of the stuff I do coincides perfectly with the law, and a few things don't, but I never feel unsafe on my bike, and I rarely delay other traffic by more than a couple seconds. Everything seems to be working out ok for me, why bother worrying about whats written in some traffic code somewhere?

Yes, technically I could get a ticket, but the police don't seem to care either.

jimmuter

I stop at all red lights and stop signs unless it's in a valley between two hills. Many laws are made to protect us from the lowest common denominator out there. Still, I try to obey them and be a good citizen.

truman

How much I care about the letter of the law, isn't the issue.... how much the cop on my route cares, is.

That said, I'm in pretty much the same boat, legally, as you are. As much as anything else, it makes me much less of a nebbish to the drivers that I see breaking the law, too. I can't hate them for doing pretty much what I'm doing.

I'm about safety for me and for them. If I get a ticket, it won't be because I put somebody at risk.

-=(8)=-

I only abide by the one rule I made for myself........
Dont impede anyone elses forward motion.
Car, bike, ped, etc.....
After that, its do whatever needs to be done however I
feel like doing it. Very simple

mechBgon

I care quite a bit on principle.

I care what impression I give to the observers I don't see (people looking out their office window or whatever). I care what impression I give to the observers I do see, too. It reflects on other cyclists, just like their behavior comes back to reflect on me.

I also feel that traffic code generally works systematically, and is worth following, by me and by everyone else. There are occasions where "going through the motions" has saved me from stuff I hadn't forseen, whether in the car or on the bike.

Regarding your rear reflector, why don't you put one on? They're worth it as a failsafe last-ditch visibility item, and they're not expensive or heavy.

ZachS

i don't give a **** about traffic laws, but i try to behave safely and ethically

bmclaughlin807

I always stop for stop signs, even if there's no visible traffic. And I always wait for the lights.

If I get hit, it's damn sure going to be someone else's fault, so my wife can sue the hell out of them!

The law here in Colorado says reflector OR light (I usually have both) So I don't have to worry about that.

The only way my bike is in violation of the law is not having reflectors visible to the sides, but I very rarely ride at night, anyway, and when I do it's only from home to the store and back, which is less than a mile and on lightly used roads.

same time

Ugh, that whole "Advocacy and Safety" forum is full of arguments about this, and it gets nasty.

My take on it: do what you gotta do to stay safe, don't get in anybody's way, and don't waste time trying to justify it. Everybody breaks laws in traffic, no matter what they're driving or riding. Just don't ride like a nut and you'll be fine.

And don't disrespect the police by breaking laws right in front of them.

DataJunkie

I see everything in various shades of grey. My mother is the opposite. It is all black and white.

It seems we have quite a few of the black and white rule persons in A&S.

I-Like-To-Bike

Judging from my cycling experiences of over 50 years and many various locations, I'd estimate that the only people concerned with giving cyclists tickets for "technicalities" are self appointed Bicycling Safety Nannies™ with a compulsion to hound/hector all other cyclists into compliance with their scheme of cycling conformity.

badhat

i respect traffic, not traffic law

ceridwen

They are a pain to find a place for for those of us without miles of seatpost exposed. I ditched mine, making me technically illegal in the state of Florida. I have three rear lights though and seriously doubt any cop would hassle me over it. One of the lights is a reflector as well, but I don't always have that one with me.

I'll blow the stop signs if there is no traffic in an area I know well. In places I dont know, I stop, and I always at least stop for lights, though I will proceed without waiting if there is absolutely no traffic and I've waited a cycle without it changing.

Little Darwin

While it does sometimes bother me to see people not following the law, I try to relax and tell myself it just doesn't matter unless:

1) It interferes with another's liberties.

2) It interferes with another's safety.

I wrote a paper a couple of years ago for an English class entitled "Defined by Obedience" which presented the thesis that a person is defined by the rules they choose to obey. I think this applies to laws as well as other aspects of life. This essay was not very popular with a few of my friends who feel that nobody should follow any rules... but by saying this, they actually held to my main point, they define themselves by the rules they choose to obey, which in their case is very few.

My only hesitation to say for myself that your situational decisions are right for me is that I feel an obligation to others that may observe me... whether I know it or not.

You will probably never know if this happens, but how would you feel if a 6 year old occasionally sees you blow through a stop sign and a few years later did the same, and rode into the path of a car?

How many extra hours of commute time would you be willing to spend, spread over the course of your life, if it meant that there was a 0.1% chance of saving a young child who would have died?

However, as long as you don't interfere with me in breaking the law or whine if you get a ticket, I have no major issue with your position...

Flak

Im about a 70%-30% rule follower. Most of the time ill obey proper rules, not because i want to, but because cars see me better and respect me more if im behaiving like them. Ill break a rule here and there to maintain my momentum if its safe to do so. That includes taking advantage of sidewalks sometimes.

pityr

I obey as many rules as I have to. You never know when there will be a cop lurking in a dark corner somewhere. It doesn't really add any time to my commute and I seem to get more respect from the drivers.

mechBgon

How about on your seatstay? If someone collides with you, you don't want to be leaving obvious loopholes for the defense lawyer. At least, I don't, anyway. Your LBS can undoubtedly dredge up a nice lil' round Cateye and a properly-sized nylon mounting band for your seatstay, if you get to wanting one.

rule

I ride like I am going to have to answer for it to some soccer mom's insurance company lawyer. Plus, I like working on my track stands and power starts off the line anyway.

I-Like-To-Bike

About the same as if my stop sign activities years later caused a comet to crash into that child. And I consider the correlation about as likely.

I-Like-To-Bike

+1; That IS the bottom line to safe cycling in traffic.

Little Darwin

As long as you can live with that view, then ride on my friend...

drfardook

My dear old dad had some words of wisdom which I follow religiously:

"Remember son, the law of the land may be on your side but Newton's law says you're ****ing dead if you step in front of a speeding 18 wheeler".

I generally follow traffic laws as I find them to be effective in not contributing to getting run over. Slowing down if not stopping at stop lights/signs (especially if I can't see around the corner). Riding with traffic. Using lights at night. However I also assume that just because Johnny in his new Honda Civic is approaching a stop sign, he's not necessarily going to stop even if you've already entered the intersection.

CentPARider

I feel that you should follow the law to close any potential liability should you be in an accident.

CastIron

I let common sense and courtesy be my guide.
As to the law: I respect it to that end, but don't worship at the alter of the traffic code.

oboeguy

++ Except if by "respect" you mean "stop at all stop signs". Cars don't stop at stop signs so I'm not about to start doing that on the bike if I don't have to stop. Really, a full stop at a stop sign is never necessary if there are no cars. Sounds obvious and stupid but it's true. As for red lights, what do you think it safer? Waiting at a light with a bunch of itchy drivers or riding an empty stretch of road? Uh-huh, thought so.

bmclaughlin807

I see bicyclists running red lights and stop signs all the time... all I can say is this:

If one of them gets hit while doing so, I'm going to be the first witness filing a report that it was 100% the cyclists fault, that he was breaking the law, and he should be held financially responsible for any damages.

How in the world can you take drivers to task for not obeying the traffic laws and hitting a cyclist, then turn around and blatantly break them yourself?