Boy, here we go. Do a search, as this thread has been tackled many, many times on BF before -- with a lot of heated exchanges.

Do I personally follow all the rules? Nope, absolutely not.

Police treat me well -- as I follow the rules in such a manner as to provide for my own safety and the safe road use of other people. This is not the same as 100% following all the rules.

I personally don't come to a *complete stop (all forward motion stopped) at stop signs, but slow enough that it's pretty close. At intersetions I stop 100% of the time -- but do not always wait for lights when it's 5 AM and no traffic is anywhere around.

I also am known to "swallow my pride" (ride defensively) to avoid getting hit by motorists -- meaning I care more about staying alive than my rights as a cyclist. I think this comes more naturally to female cyclists and females in general, which is one of the things that I think is great about females. They seem to have a more natural tendency toward caution -- and my wife has definitely rubbed off on me.

I don't give a damn what other people do. I don't give a damn about their reasons either. I've been riding for 5 years, daily without issues.