Bike advocates have been pushing for broader laws that would protect cyclists for years in California and they’ve had some success. For example, drivers are now required to yield a minimum radius of three feet next to bikes or else the driver faces fines. Motorists, however, have expressed frustation that cyclists seem to choose which laws to follow and which ones to ignore.

A new law, however, could help to expand protections for cyclists.

A current measure in the California State Assembly would give bicyclists the opportunity to roll through stop signs on a green light. This means that if the coast is clear, the bicycle rider can skip coming to a full stop. According to a Republican representative from Bear Lake, this is a judgment call that would ultimately be left up to the cyclist.

The sponsor of the bill believes that it will help to reduce significant bicycle accidents and make riding a bicycle more efficient and easy for people who are doing it for leisure or commuting purposes. The bill is based on a law allowing cyclists to roll through stop signs adopted in another state, Idaho, in 1982, that a study was used to promote that bill identifying that bicycle crashes were 30% lower in Boise than in other similar-sized cities across the United States.  Could roll through stop signs decrease accidents in San Diego?

While cyclists and motorists must learn to share the road, too many accidents are the result of another person’s negligence or lack of awareness, and these can lead to catastrophic injuries and personal injury lawsuits. With little protection available on a bike, a cyclist may sustain life-changing injuries from which he or she will never fully recover. 

Bicycle accidents are all too common not just in San Diego but across California. Sadly, California is one of the deadliest states for bicycle accidents given that so many people enjoy riding a bike and that traffic is heavy in many of the major cities. The beautiful weather encourages people to be outside more and cycling has become a more popular avenue for people to do everything from run errands to commute to work. With that, however, comes a confrontation between congested traffic in San Diego.

The beautiful weather encourages people to be outside more and cycling has become a more popular avenue for people to do everything from run errands to commute to work. With that, however, comes a confrontation between congested traffic in San Diego.