Why do bicycle riders feel that they can completely ignore traffic laws?

I…don’t…know. i have experienced the same thing.

When I was in my 20’s I thought that I was exempt from obeying the traffic laws until I had a couple interactions with police and auto drivers. I soon started behaving.

One time I was bike riding into a 4-way stop. I saw a car approaching at a cross street. I made it to the intersection first and didn’t stop. The car didn’t stop either and it nearly hit me. The guy in the car drove next to me and asked, “Why didn’t you stop?” I replied, “I thought that you were going to stop.” HA!

But it’s baffling to me now when I see knuckleheads on bikes doing outrageous stunts in traffic. Of course there are plenty of auto drivers disobeying the traffic laws as well. No wonder nearly 40,000 people are killed on the roads each year in the USA. And no one seems to care at all about that.

It’s a PITA for them to stop. So they often just don’t. Road bikers are generally assholes. I should know, I am one. People in cars are also complete psychopaths around cyclists too. I stopped sharing the road with cars after being hit by one with a driver face-buried in a smartphone.

I think that they belive as a bike is more agile, and nimble. As to avoid danger.

They have a death wish. In a crash the car will obviously win. Rant away. They should all get issued moving violations.

I think some bicyclists don’t know they have to obey traffic laws, and some don’t want to stop because they are exercising and don’t want to interrupt their speed.

Some people assume pedestrians always have the right of way, and in turn always assume cars have to yield to any other smaller or lower speed vehicle including bikes. Where I live we have golf carts driving with traffic and crossing traffic, and many new people assume the golf cart has the right of way, but it is the cars that do. Maybe write a recommendation to the city to promote safe bicycling habits.

I didn’t understand how difficult it is to drive when ~“pestestrians”~ are about.

I live on a two lane rural road which is now like a highway during rush hours. The road is twisty, and the area is horse country, lake country, used to be summer vacation places back in the day. It’s a popular road for bikes, motorcycles and fancy sports cars on Sundays. There are constant discussions in local FB groups about the bike riders not sharing the road, not stopping at stop signs, and all that. Constant.

For the most part yeah.
And I feel that if they are involved in a MVA it will be the vehicle drivers fault.

@Blackwater_Park I mean I stopped, I looked, I crept out. But it’s a blind corner WHICH IS WHY THEY HAVE THE STOP SIGN and there was absolutely no way I could have seen them until they were right on top of me screaming 2 feet from my front bumper at 30 mph. Scared the fuck out me.

In line with what @Redèer said “They are just more nimble, agile.._ and going slow. How could anyone not have the same reaction time as them?
Stupid.

I think they want to kill themselves.

@Blackwater_Park why do you have the same profile picture as @YARNLADYs?

I’m not advocating mass bicycle traffic law impunity, but virtually all drivers have more problems with cars than bicycles.

Group rides ignoring stop signs is not recommended by anybody. I will posit a theory (with no evidence, LOL) that the likelihood of blowing stop signs is proportional to the cost of the bicycles and the amount of pro rider cosplay involved.

@Call_Me_Jay I’m maybe not understanding your answer, because it is hard for me to believe.

If the bike and car crash, the car wins, and the bicyclist likely has serious injuries or even dies. The driver of the car, even if he had no fault in the accident, has nightmares about being in an accident that someone was seriously harmed. Two cars crash at a slowish speed and you likely just have some dented cars. What if the car doesn’t stop at the stop sign? Who cares that the driver should have stopped, the point is the bicyclist gets hit by a car!

A woman I used to dance with hit two people on bicycles and one was in the hospital for a few weeks, I don’t know if they ever completely recovered from their injuries. A neighbor of mine crashed riding his bicycle (not into a car) three months ago, his helmet strap had broken a week before so he didn’t have his helmet on. They just turned off his life support three weeks ago. Usually, he wore a helmet.

@SergeantQueen some of the more senior people here will know what is getting started

@Caravanfan I think they were not being very defensive. Given enough experience, those riders will change…or be killed.

I wish cities would make things more friendly and safe for bicycle traffic. This keeps 90+% of people who would commute on a bicycle from doing so.

@Blackwater_Park Might it be another Yarnpocalypse?

As an avid cyclist, no they all don’t do this.