afwen

Being T-boned by a cyclist can kill me just as dead as being T-boned by a car.

coldfeet

Oh please. I have run a stop sign accidentally, it was somewhat obscured by a tree. In this case, the dude didn't see then sign and traffic stopped in BOTH directions? He wasn't paying attention. That's a potentially fatal mistake on a bike, if he didn't know that, he got a cheap lesson.

JeffS

If the minivan had run the stop sign this never would have happened.

FrankSerpico

Echotraveler asked about the Hard Rock pilots attitude.The guy was in shock, at first, like you'd expect after getting in a wreck.He got a little irritable with the other driver, when she asked for his ID. It didn't help the ID question was following a pretty good tongue lashing on her part.That said, I've ran my share of stop signs. Lights, too. Just not when I was competing with a car for right of way.

aley

The OP saw the situation coming, with the cyclist quickly approaching the intersection. If the van driver had been paying proper attention, she would have seen it coming as well. Not to shift the blame for the accident (from the OP's description, blame lies squarely with the cyclist), but it's worth pointing out that it takes two or more people to be in a multivehicle accident (OK, barring somebody hitting a parked car), and in many accident scenarios, there are things that both of them could have done differently.

In any event, kudos to the OP for having enough situational awareness to see the situation coming and stay put with with his daughter safely out of harm's way.

Mr IGH

So I guess you're claiming you never have a weak moment and someone else saves your bacon? Accidents happen, there's nothing you can do about that. Sheesh, give the rider a break, he stopped and took responsibility for his mistake, he's going to have to pay for damages...Never mind, piling on is how we do it here, have at him, feels good, doesn't it?

tarwheel 

Survival of the fittest at work. Hopefully the guy learned a lesson. I often do not fully stop for stop signs, but I always slow down and look both ways. If there are other vehicles at the intersection, I stop.

tjwarren

"The rider spaced out." Give me a break. If the rider's habit was to stop at stop signs instead of riding through them, it wouldn't have mattered that he was zoned out -- he would have stopped out of habit.

"You can't compare a bike and a car." So if a rider blows through a stop sign and runs into me (cause he's, you know, "zoned out") I'm unlikely to get hurt? Or as squirtdad pointed out, if the scofflaw forces a driver into me, I should be ok because the one who ran the light is only riding a bike?


While we were driving yesterday, my five-year-old asked me why you have to stop at red lights even if there's no traffic coming. "It doesn't make any sense!" I'm not surprised when my five-year-old doesn't understand how following the rules makes everyone safer and helps everyone work together better. I expect better from an adult.

echotraveler

still not getting the comparison of a 200 pundounder against a 2,000 punder... if you run over a cyclist here in Puerto Rico, its not matter of who ran the light...the car is at fault...thats what the law states...here in P.R. cyclist have the right of way everytime, stop sings, red lights, green lighs...of coarse it would be stupid to get in the way of a moving vehicule, thats just common sense...and i guess you should still stop

Tabor

Sounds like the police... and we all know that NWA has to say about the police.

afwen

If two cyclists both run stop signs, which one has the right of way?

twentysixtwo

+1

That said, totally blowing a yield sign is also STOOOPID and failure to yield is a ticketable offense.....

echotraveler

ok you made me re-read the law, it doesn't answere you question. but it does say that even tho cyclist have rigth of way they have to follow traffic sings as a car would. so if 2 cyclist run a stop sing and crash, it means they were SUPER STUPID for not being aware of their surroundings. it could be tragic and funny at the same time.

i bet the cyclist OP's talking about realized he was wrong and will pay for his action...but having people nagging and complaine and giving a speech of how this could have been prevented is pointless and pushy...the guy got a good smack, he understands now...

somedood

Hopefully he pays for repairs on the car he ran into. I'd be pretty pissed if some idiot on his bike ran into my car and scratched/dented it because he wasn't paying attention.

crazybikerchick

Is it actually legal in Colarado to ride in the crosswalk!??!?! Most places have more sensical laws.

DataJunkie

Yes. Sucks to be us.

crawdaddio

....suggestion.

wunderkind

Everyone should practise defensive riding and driving. Err towards caution helps me to get home safely to be with my family everyday. Zoning out or distracted on traffic can be fatal.
Rider got a lucky break. He would've been in much worse shape and he is the only one to be blamed.

canyoneagle

That cyclist would really have to have his head up is a$$ to blow through an intersection with a vehicle in the opposite land and a fellow cyclist in the neighboring lane.

It is stupid to blow through a stopsign if other traffic is present.

PaulH

Good thing he hit the minivan instead of you or your daughter.

Paul

EKW in DC

I'm assuming you know about subject-verb agreement, and that's why you decided to break the rules... Sorry, couldn't resist...

As for the OP's post, I have no sympathy for the other cyclist. I often Idaho stop even though I live in VA and ride in VA and DC, but only if no one else is there, or even near. I shudder when I see cyclists salmoning, riding on the wrong side, or blowing through stop signs w/o even looking b/c I know that it makes some drivers who see that kind of riding less willing to properly share the road. That, and as the OP's experience shows, they put themselves and others at risk of injury or worse...

DX Rider

Because I live in a fairly rural area, there are some stop signs that aren't always practical. So I don't always stop, especially if there is no traffic. If I'm way out in the middle of the sticks and I come across a stop sign, I'll slow and check for other vehicles, but I don't stop if no one else is on the road.

But, I was horrified at how many people blow through stop signs on a local MUP. The stop signs are posted at every street crossing. Granted this particular MUP has a ridiculous amount of street crossings, but some riders don't even break their cadence and slow down at all. It's amazing more people aren't killed.

I believe that they think that the signs posted on the road on either side are stop signs for the cars. They're not, those signs are bicycle x-ing signs, so cars aren't obligated to stop.

That was my first concern too.

canyoneagle

I've encountered this first hand. The idiotic actions of a few can perpetuate "anti-bicycle" rhetoric and attitudes. I've had people blurt anti-bicycle 'talking points' at me even though I've been observing the rules of the road. I was simply riding a bicycle, and that was enough reason for them, apparently.

DX Rider

After further thought, this rider does sound some what like a noob though.

How many experienced riders don't know that they're going to make like superman if they slam on the front brakes at high speed? Enjoy the flight, because the landing is going to be a biatch!!

Pinyon

Other people at the intersection? This guy was stupid. I will sail through an intersection if I'm the only one there, but you are just asking for it if you don't stop when others get there before you. Stupid.