Originally Posted by
gnappi
Down here drunks, dreamers, phone gabbers, texters, and oldsters (I'm retired) take out a pretty good number of riders yearly down here, so I ride the sidewalk. My right to stay alive preempts my "right" to the road.
That said, dangers exist on sidewalks too. Motorists pushing past the STOP line at lights to make a right on red or a stop sign pay no attention to the sidewalk despite the brightly lit WALK man, also they tend to zip out of driveways onto sidewalks without looking for peds.
People can correct me if I'm wrong, but I've definitely read that statistically, it's much safer to ride in the street. Sidewalk riders get hit by cars and trucks more often at intersections and driveways, and that's not even taking into account the increased risk of hitting pedestrians. Basically, you're way more likely to get killed riding on the sidewalk. You're fooling yourself if you think it offers enhanced protection from distracted drivers, it's actually the opposite. And it's not a close call.