It’s never a good scenario when a cyclist and a vehicle collide. No matter where you live, our roadways have seen an increase in motor vehicle traffic and an increase in bicycle commuting and recreation. As theses increases become more prevalent, we all have to be a little more aware of each other as we share the road and accepting of proper laws and regulations. Ask a few questions and you’ll unfortunately discover a misunderstanding of the rules of the road. Here in Idaho it took an unfortunate crash to bring about change when a five year old boy named Maximo was hit and then dragged by a minivan back in September. Thankfully Max is on a slow road to recovery after being rushed to a Salt Lake City Hospital with a collapsed lung, several broken bones, and surgery to remove his spleen. Does it take a crash such as this to re-examine bicycle safety?

Open the Discussion

This tragedy that happened to Max did bring about some new discussions and a decision by the Idaho Department of Transportation to add more bicycle questions to the driver’s test. By clarifying laws and getting more motorists to be aware of the existence of the legal need to share the road with cyclists, we can only hope that the end result will be fewer accidents, less animosity and ultimately fewer crashes. I just returned from the Pacific Northwest and I was on heightened awareness of how these communities work cyclists into their busy streets and keep everyone as safe as possible. Each year the League of American Bicyclists assesses all 50 states through a voluntary application process and Washington came out on top again as the number one bicycle friendly state, so I was pretty eager to see how this was all possible. My first stop was in Bellingham, then down to Seattle, followed by a stop in Portland, Oregon and the first-hand experience was quite interesting. Overall each community provided lanes and designated areas for cyclists to negotiate the roadways, transit provided ways to transports bicycles and Universities and businesses had secure places to park. These are all important because it clarifies where bikes should be and what to expect from them in traffic, but the most important element to coexisting is an attitude of awareness.

Share the Road

Green bike lanes, designated routes and sensible laws are a good foundation to safety between motorists and cyclists, but it just doesn’t work until everyone adopts the right attitude and are accepting of the other. According to Save a Life Look! A foundation organized with the goal of saving lives after several cyclists deaths occurred on Idaho roads,

many cyclists are unaware of, or choose not to ride according to the laws which govern the use of public roads. Most Drivers only expect to see other cars on the road, or even deny the right of cyclists to be on the road at all. (Or worse yet, feel cyclists should not be on the roads at all.) That creates a disconnection between what drivers expect and what cyclists do on the road. These problems culminate in at best, apathy towards cyclists, and at worst, deliberate, hostile, unsafe, and possibly fatal confrontations between car and cyclist.

A common complaint among motorists usually centers on the unpredictability of cyclists. Having these designated areas and lanes are a reasonable trade off and go a long ways to getting along, but what happens when the road is unregulated. What I did find in Washington and Oregon, was an attitude of sharing the road without question. Although traffic was always quite thick, I never witnessed a motorist being annoyed by a cyclist or even getting aggressive. I also did not see any cyclist riding crazy or outside the designated zones when they were available. I watched a cyclist in downtown Portland riding in traffic through narrow roads and bumper to bumper traffic and thought…gutsy! I saw the same guy three separate times working his way through traffic as I was searching for a parking spot and was impressed with how the other motorists worked around him safely and without pressure. I’m sure there are moments when it’s not always this way; but I saw what I saw and I was impressed. I couldn’t help to think that my hometown community has quite a ways to go. It’s not the most pedestrian or cycling friendly community and many think bikes don’t belong on the road. The city is making some changes, ask the right questions but I think we are quite a distance from a green bike lane.

When the city actually painted, what I’ve just learned to be called a sharrow on the road, people were actually confused. A sharrow is a graphic symbol provided to show bicyclists where to ride on streets without bike lanes and to indicate to motorists where to expect bicyclists.

They are also located in the road along a line of travel that avoids opening car doors. Cyclists here locally were confused by these corporal looking stripes and even more confused whether these were lanes or bike routes and why any of it mattered when bikes should have rights on every city street. Look! Save a Life encourages both cyclists and drivers to look out for each other and be aware of their impact on other users of the roads.

Know Your State Laws

So what are some of the changes that Maximo’s incident have inspired? Some of the new questions motorists will find on the Idaho DMV tests that are currently being issued

include a few of the following questions that bring awareness to sharing the road:

QUESTION: What is the minimum passing space that motorists should leave when passing a bicyclist?

ANSWER: 3 Feet

QUESTION: If you are preparing for a right turn and a bicyclist is ahead of you, how far behind him or her should you drive until he or she rides past the point where you will turn?

ANSWER: 5 to 7 Feet

QUESTION: How many feet should cyclists ride from the edge of pavement to avoid accumulated edge debris?

ANSWER: 3 Feet

QUESTION: Does a cyclist need to come to a stop at a stop sign?

ANSWER: No, as long as they yield the right-of-way to vehicles in or already at the intersection, and then proceed with caution through the intersection. This is a law known as the “Idaho Stop” or “rolling stop law,” which came about in 1982 and you probably won’t find it anywhere else. Oregon attempted to pass such a law but it never made it out of their Senate Rules Committee.

Same thing pertains to when cyclists come to a red light; they may proceed with caution through the red light after stopping and yielding the right of way to vehicles already in the intersection.

Each state has its own cycling laws and it is important for everyone to check with your local Department of Transportation.

The Washington manual notes: With more people riding bicycles, following the rules of the road is especially important. A bicycle is a legal road vehicle, just like a car. This means that bicycle riders have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers.

In Oregon, the manual offers up some principles for safe cycling: Most bicycling injuries do not involve a crash with a motor vehicle. Bicyclists are more likely to fall or hit fixed objects such as a mailbox or a parked car. To avoid these crashes, follow PRINCIPLE #1: maintain control of your bicycle. Never ride while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Driving under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII) laws apply when you’re riding a bicycle. Most crashes with motor vehicles happen at road intersections and driveways, where bicyclists and motorists cross paths. To avoid these crashes, follow PRINCIPLE #2: ride on the right, with traffic, in a predictable manner. When motorists and bicyclists collide, the fault is about evenly split between them. Even if you ride responsibly, some motorists may not see you. So remember PRINCIPLE #3: be visible and ride alertly.

More Advocacy

Another group that is pushing for more education about sharing the road safely is the Boise Bicycle Project. According to their executive director, Jimmy Hallyburton, “Our goal with education is to keep people from getting hit in the first place.” Hallyburton is a close friend of Maximo’s family and along with other means of advocacy wants to create a smartphone app to track every vehicle vs. bike crash in the area, whether the driver or the cyclist was at fault. He says often, crashes do not get reported to police because there isn’t a serious injury or damage. Data like this is important to bring about any realistic change and to work toward awareness. Other groups are quick to note that the “follow the law” message can be problematic when a person might think that is all they need to do to be safe. Bicyclesafe.com offers some important lessons in bicycle safety and how not to get hit by cars. I would also encourage you to get involved with advocacy groups and contribute information and ideas when your city asks for input from the cycling community. I have noticed on some city web sites an invitation to join an advisory committee and others offer a survey that can be easily filled out and submitted on-line.

Let’s Review

All cyclists and motorists need to know the laws in their community and operate within them. The Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance offers up some good points and discusses them individually: Be visible, be predictable, be aware, be assertive, and most of all be considerate.