Originally Posted by
Paul Barnard
I approach all of my activities with an eye toward mitigating risk down to a level that's acceptable to me. The MTB rider very likely looked, saw that they could make it and went for it.
Busy intersection. Beginning of rush hour traffic. MTB flew through red light.
I don't mean to be, but I am being, argumentative... if the driver of a car hit a bicyclist while running a red light and stated "I looked and I thought I could make it so I went for it" I am quite certain no one would defend them.
I have spent all of my driving life, except the past 5 months, looking at this through the eyes of a motorist. Getting frustrated with bicyclists who display the same disregard for road rules while on the road. Knowing full well what happens when a bicyclist and a motorist collide. Now I find myself getting frustrated with motorists though I am well aware that the burden of self-preservation rests solely with me and I will gladly drop my bike rather than potentially hit or be hit by a car, even if I am over-reacting. I read an article recently that went over the trials and tribulations of bicyclists who were recovering, physically and mentally, from serious accidents. It was from a cyclist magazine. To their credit they cited a study (which I did not vet) that stated that cyclists are responsible for just over 50% of motor vehicle collisions involving cyclists. I'm pretty sure motor trend has never written a similar article regarding motorists involved in similar collisions.
The whole point of my post, lost in everything else, was seeing the blatant, and unnecessary, disregard for road rules by a cyclist while I was riding a bike (as opposed to being in a car). And while the MTB did indeed get through the red light without incident. I am pretty sure he did not get to wear the yellow jersey the next day.