Cyclists who break traffic rules when a car is in sight are all ****-heads, without exception. That's because it is all these "small" traffic violations like this that will keep cyclists from truly being treated as vehicles.

Maybe I'm bitter and old before my time, but I was at a red light the other day and two cyclists didn't slow down to turn right at the light I was waiting at. One passed me on my left, in front of my car, and one passed me on my right, just as the light was turning green. Luckily, I wasn't turning right.

However, if I could have somehow magically exited my car and caught up with them in that moment, I would have tried my best to use their Giros to beat some sense into them. All I could think was "You guys are the reason I get buzzed by pissed off motorists when I'm on some back road."

When we get buzzed by a car, we think "That ****ty motorist has such a sense of entitlement. I want to kick his mirror off." When cars see us break the rules, they think "That ****ty cyclist has such a sense of entitlement, I want to kill him with my rear view mirror."

So the childish rationale of "cars do it, so why can't I do it?" should be left at home when you get on the bike.

The simple moral of this post is: don't be a ****-head. It messes it up for the rest of us.