DALLAS, Texas. Almost everyone has broken traffic laws. Whether you were driving a few miles over the speed limit or chose to jay walk, few of us have clean records. According to the Journal of Transportation and Land Use, when drivers perform minor infractions like rolling through a stop sign or driving a few miles over the speed limit, society tends to still see the drivers as behaving rationally. In other words, drivers are not perceived as being reckless or unnecessarily endangering the lives of others on the road. Yet, when bikers break the laws of the road, the researchers wondered why they faced greater scrutiny.
Drivers who break the law tend to do so to save time. However, the researchers found that when bicyclists broke the law, they did so to protect themselves and to save energy. The researchers found that bicyclists who break minor traffic laws are not being reckless, as some drivers may believe, but are, in fact, acting rationally to protect their safety and to conserve energy. Bicyclists also break the law for the same reasons drivers break the law: to save time.
One example of a practice that is legal in most areas of the county, but annoys drivers is when a bicyclist takes up the whole lane of the road. Why would a biker choose to do this? Consider this: if a parked car’s passenger opens his or her door and a bicyclist hits the door, he or she could be seriously injured or killed. Bikers sometimes choose to ride in the middle of the lane to protect themselves from the possibility that a door will open suddenly.
Another factor that plays a role in how bikers behave toward traffic laws is a given city’s social norms for bikers. If you’re driving on a street and everyone is driving eight miles over the speed limit, you’re more likely to speed. Likewise, if you’re a biker in a city where most bikers come to a rolling stop at a red light, you’ll also be more likely to do the same. The Washington Post notes that bikers emulate their peers rather than strictly following the law. So, if you want bikers to follow the law, the best way to do it is to change social norms.
However, studies have found that bikers are not safer when they stop at red lights or stop signs. In fact, cities that have allowed bikers to come to a rolling stop at red lights and stop signs have found that bikers were safer.
At the end of the day, bike safety and driving safety is everyone’s responsibility. While most drivers abide by the law and act rationally, some drivers speed recklessly and break the rules of the road. When they do this, they endanger everyone. If you or a loved one suffered a personal injury due to the negligent or reckless actions of another driver, you may be entitled to seek damages under the law. Contact the Law Office of Robert Gregg, a personal injury lawyer in Dallas, Texas today to learn more about your rights and options. Our firm will take the time to review your claim and fight for your rights.