Originally Posted by
hallux
I think another poster touched on this, there is a failing of driver education as much as anything else. His plan, though, would cost considerable money, which I'm sure many would object to paying for through their taxes or higher road use taxes on fuel. When I was preparing for my license (17 years ago), I don't recall ANYTHING about what is being discussed here, including in a driver's ed. course. Also, and I'm not saying ignorance should be acceptable (and I'm guilty here), how many people will go through and read the entire driving code, section for section and word for word unless they're trying to find something to prove they were in the right in a situation? I thought so.
My point is that trying to teach people about when bicyclists do and do not have the right to use a full lane for the past 30+ years has not worked. It's just too complicated. Besides, most people don't want to believe that bicyclists ever have the right to use a full lane.
So changing the law so that bicyclists ALWAYS have the right to use a full lane would be so much easier. The message would only have to be communicated once. People would no longer be able to claim that bicyclists never have the right to use a full lane.
Such a change in the law is NECESSARY but NOT SUFFICIENT to change the behavior on the streets. But what we are doing now, trying to teach people to respect the right of bicyclists to use a full lane without first changing the law, is a fool's errand.