I'm reluctant to respond, because there appears to be two camps about this question, with little liklihood of one side convincing the other of anything. I am of the opinion that while there are rude and reckless cyclists, they basically endanger themselves and very, very rarely anyone else. I also believe that they do not represent cyclists as a whole, any more than those crazies on Mulholland Drive represent motorists as a whole. Finally, I believe that rude, aggressive, and impatient drivers do endanger cyclists and the argument that so many cyclists break the law is just a canard to deflect attention away from their dangerous behavior.

Do I expect to convince anyone of these points? No, at least not anyone who has already made their mind up. But there may be newby cyclists who haven't made up their minds, and before they get on the path of condemning every cyclist who runs a stop sign, hopefully they will think again, and start directing their attention to what I firmly believe is the real danger.