Cyclists Break Far Fewer Road Rules Than Motorists, Finds New Video Study
Cyclists Break Far Fewer Road Rules Than Motorists, Finds New Video Study
Busting the myth of the "scofflaw cyclist" Danish Road Directorate studies reveal that while 66% of motorists routinely break road traffic laws only 5% of cyclists do so. Law breaking by cyclists is higher where there is no cycle-specific infrastructure.
Some interesting stuff here, including links to more studies showing similar results in different countries.
The summary is that the reason motorists break more laws is that speeding is so common.
I don't think this is because motorists are all evil and cyclists are all saints. Probably, the reason motorists break speed limits is that it can be relatively difficult to keep cars below the speed limit. It's all too easy to absentmindedly speed up. It's also, perhaps becuase of this, widely seen as socially acceptable to break the speed limit (speaking anecdotally).
One interesting thing here, which may not surprise regular readers of Fuck Cars, is that better cycling infrastructure leads to less lawbreaking by cyclists. As is often the case, it's the design of roads and cities that changes behaviour, not abstract appeals to road users to be sensible!
So, it appears that when giving everyone equal infrastructure, motorists are still awful at getting around.
The reason Dutch cyclists don't break laws is that there's little reason to. Their traffic signals work for cyclists, their paths work for cyclists, there's no reason to speed, etc.
Compare that to most cities in North America, and "breaking the law" for a cyclist means not wanting to wait 10 minutes at the same red light because there aren't any cars to trigger a change to green. Or riding on sidewalks because nobody feels safe on roads with semi-trucks and pickup trucks refusing to give them any space.
When motorists break the law, it's because they are impatient or just don't know how to drive. When cyclists do it, it's to either be safe or because the infrastructure is so poor that it makes normal cycling behaviour seem like a crime.
@frankPodmore@slrpnk.net One interesting thing here is that it seems that cyclists, whether breaking the law or sticking to it, are often doing so out of self-preservation. If you're turning left at a busy junction with a bike lane, jumping the red might actually be safer than waiting for it to change. A good example of a perverse incentive!
we've got a new cycle lane with dedicated lights near me - though only activated by a beg-button.
except you can press the button sall you want ant it'll stay on red all the time.unfortunately due to the concrete separator i can't nip over into the main lane and use that lane on green.
so i just have to run the red. almost every bike trip i make is lawbreaking for me.Hah, speeding for one.
Oh noes. Speeding.