Here is a situation I find myself in A LOT. I approach a red light. The intersection is clear in every direction. In my mirror, I see a large number of fast moving cars. 1/2 to 1/4 of a mile back.

If I wait for the light to turn green, I will be going very slowly through the intersection while cars are passing me at very closely at 50 mph (because the light turned green before they got there and they speeded up). Many of those cars will be turning right, left, talking on cell phones, etc. And there will also be cars coming from my right making the legal "right turn on red" without stopping because they see a break in traffic. If the cars behind haven't reached me, there may be cars trying to turn left in front of me while they still can. Moreover, most every car that approaches this intersection will have their attention focused on the light, and not on the road.

Now, if I choose to break the law and proceed through the intersection against the red light, traffic is not a factor because there are no cars. By the time the cars behind reach me, I am through the intersection and safely traveling at speed in the bike lane. Nobody is turning around me, and once again, drivers are paying attention to the road and not whether the light is going to turn yellow or green before they get there.

Bottom line is that there are frequently many situations where it's more safe for me to break the law and go than to follow the law and stop.

With 4 way stop signs, it's a similar situation. First of all, I never blow through a stop sign where cross traffic doesn't stop. But with a 4 way stop, the speed I ride through is probably almost as slow as most drivers who claim that they "stopped." I tested it once. I rode alongside a few cars "stopping" at stop signs, and most did not slow down to any less than 10-15 mph.

From a safety standpoint, there are a few things to remember. First of all, most areas with 4 way stops are residential that allow on-street parking. Unless those streets are very recently designed, most of that on-street parking is actually the bike lane. In order to avoid the door zone of parked cars, I will ride in the traffic lane. So if there is a car behind me, and I do a complete, foot touches the ground, stop, there is a good chance that the driver's level of impatience is going to rise. And there is a strong likelihood that as I'm slowly pedaling through the intersection after stopping, that driver will gun his engine and swing around me. Of course, if that driver is more focused on his cell phone than driving, he may not see me stopped in front of him at all and run into me.

Now, in the same situation, if I ride through the stop sign, assuming the intersection is clear, (much easier on a bike due to lower speed and better visibility) the driver behind me can do whatever he wants to - he can be drunk off his butt for all that matters - he's not going to hit (at least while crossing the intersection).