Originally Posted by iforgotmename

Here is a good comment from the page: Drivers routinely drive 5mph or more over the speed limit, talk on cell phones, fail to signal, fail to yield, fail to come to a complete stop, block crosswalks and intersections, and generally violate traffic laws DAILY, ALL THE TIME, EVERYWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY. These are considered "small" infractions, hardly worthy of notice. They "don't really hurt anyone." The list of justifications for this kind of behavior is endless. And we simply tolerate it.

When cyclists do the same kind of things - violate the law in "small" ways that don't hurt anybody and cause very little disruption - we hear a hew and cry from the driving community about how awful cyclists are, and how often they break the law.

For every cyclists running a red (when no cars are coming, inconveniencing no one), there are 100 drivers gliding through a free right turn without stopping, forcing pedestrians to wait until they clear the crosswalk. There are 100 more talking on phones, not signaling, and driving 5 or 10 or more mph over the speed limit. There are 100 more doing something else illegal - probably something "small" that inconveniences no one and causes only momentary disruption, kind of like the bikers who run reds.

Both sets of behavior are equally unjustifiable and dangerous. But one is tolerated while the other is seen as an afront to the rules of the road. Glaring double-standard.