Bicycle right-of-way question
- Thread starter KennyPratt42
- Start date
When I'm road riding I go by one rule, I'm the smallest slowest thing on the road and most likely to get killed by everything else on the road. Stay to the right and try keep an eye on other folks so I get home safe.
I run too. This is accurate. I hate everyone when I run.
I was a claims guy for a bit. Fella was on a bike, on the sidewalk, and riding on the wrong side of the road. He gets hit crossing the intersection.
Found him with the majority of fault. Even tagged him for having a coffee in his hand eliminating the ability to use both hand breaks.
Bikes need to follow the rules of the road.
But the rules aren't the same so that's not exactly helpful. My guess is his lawyer sucked or he was simply a dummy and obviously at fault.
He didn't have one and I had him paint a perfect picture in the interview. Riding the wrong way on the sidewalk got him with fault.
Insurance companies are not your friends
The funny part is there is no wrong way on a sidewalk. They took a sometimes rule for street riding and broke it.
That last line I'll whole heartedly endorse.
I didn’t read any of the posts in this thread but the bike should have got the **** off the road.
Damn! I was rereading part of this thread and learned that I haven't been breaking the law in Minnesota when I treat a stop sign as a yield sign when on my bike. If there is traffic I stop and take my turn but if there is no traffic or I beat the traffic to a 4 way stop I treat it as a yield. It is even better for the cars sometimes when I beat them to the intersection they don't have to wait for me to unnecessarily stop and then slowly crank back up to speed through the intersection.
Yes! I didn't realize MN had that. Every state should have the Idaho Stop law as it would make it safer and better for bikes and cars.
Not really. They should follow the same laws as cars to avoid confusion. If it’s safe for bicyclists, shouldn’t it be safe for automobiles?
I asked Grok
In Iowa, the rules regarding bicycles on sidewalks and interactions with motor vehicles are somewhat nuanced:
Therefore, in Iowa, while a car turning right isn't strictly required by state law to stop and wait for a bicycle on the sidewalk to cross before turning, practical safety considerations suggest:
In Iowa, the rules regarding bicycles on sidewalks and interactions with motor vehicles are somewhat nuanced:
- Bicycles on Sidewalks: Bicyclists in Iowa are generally allowed to ride on sidewalks unless prohibited by local ordinances, but they must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians ().
- Right Turns and Right-of-Way: When a car is turning right and there's a bicycle on the sidewalk to the right, the situation isn't explicitly covered in the general state law but can be inferred from broader right-of-way principles.
- Vehicle Right Turn: Generally, a vehicle making a right turn must yield to pedestrians and other traffic in the crosswalk or intersection. However, since bicycles on the sidewalk are not technically in the traffic lane, the vehicle's obligation to yield to a bicycle on the sidewalk is less clear unless the bicycle is entering the intersection or crosswalk.
- Bicycle on Sidewalk: Bicyclists on sidewalks must yield to pedestrians, but in terms of interacting with turning vehicles, the bicycle should be cautious. The vehicle turning right does not necessarily have to wait for the bicycle on the sidewalk to cross if the bicycle is not yet in the intersection or crosswalk. Nonetheless, safety and courtesy dictate that drivers should be aware of and yield to cyclists if they are entering or in the crosswalk.
- Local Variance: Specific local laws or ordinances might differ from the state's general rules, particularly in how they handle bicycles on sidewalks in relation to motor vehicle traffic. For instance, some cities might have rules that specifically address this scenario differently ().
Therefore, in Iowa, while a car turning right isn't strictly required by state law to stop and wait for a bicycle on the sidewalk to cross before turning, practical safety considerations suggest:
- If the bicycle is already in the crosswalk or entering the intersection, the car should yield as a matter of safety until the bicycle clears the path of the turn.
- If the bicycle is still on the sidewalk and not yet in the crosswalk, the driver might legally proceed with caution, but should still be mindful of the bicycle's potential movement into the intersection.
By following the same laws, you mean by texting when your driving, speeding, not signaling, not stopping, rolling through stop lights and stop signs, hitting pedestrians on cross walks, drinking and driving, when u say following the same law? Typically when the car and cyclist collide, the driver will only spill your coffee and maybe be late to work or your round of golf. The cyclist may never go home. The Idaho law is well thought out, but is it perfect no, but it's in the right direction. Problem is, drivers have this narcissistic approach to this conversation and the DOT does a lowsy job educating people.
The difference is a bicyclist is only a couple hundred pounds, traveling at a low speed, and can come to a complete stop in a few feet. Bicyclists also take longer to start up from a complete stop, so they're in the intersection (and in more danger of a collision) for longer.
Multiple studies have shown reductions in bicyclist crashes when Idaho Stops are implemented. Many of them are cited in the Wikipedia article above.
I bike a lot on city streets in the summer, and when I'm approaching an intersection, I can see quite quickly if i'll need to stop and yield to someone else. If I need to come to a stop, I can do it in five feet. Nobody's advocating for bikes to blow through intersections, but on a bike, the difference between a complete stop and a 5 mph roll through are pretty minimal from a safety perspective, but save a ton of load on the biker.
None of those examples are following the traffic laws. My point is that a non-bicycling driver probably doesn’t know about special laws for bicycles. How many drivers know what the hand signals mean on a bicycle? Treating a bicycle the same as a vehicle means that everyone on the road knows what the other is going to do.
I’d guess that you’d have less than 50% of drivers that know what the hand signal for stopping means. Unless you are a cyclist, you learn it for your permit and never think about it again. The left signal is pretty self explanatory, but the right turn would probably stump a lot of drivers as well. Even cyclists mess that one up. I’ve seen several times where they’ll use their right hand to indicate they’re turning right.
