Old 05-21-19, 05:54 AM
  #15  
noimagination
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Originally Posted by Moe Zhoost
Simply measuring incidence of infractions for cyclists vs. motorists is just not a useful statistic.
Unless, your goal is to combat the image of cyclists as reckless scofflaws. I don't know about you, but I have frequently heard drivers justify risky driving around cyclists by saying that cyclists break traffic laws all of the time and, therefore, deserve what they get. The implication being that drivers are angels, of course.

Not that I buy into the narrative that cyclists are any "better" than drivers, or vice versa, in a moral or ethical sense - an azzhat is an azzhat, whether riding a bike or driving. It's simply that the risks posed to others by bad behavior on the part of a cyclist are insignificant (though non-zero) compared to those posed by bad behavior on the part of a motorist. Also, some/most cyclists are more aware while riding than many motorists, as a matter of self preservation, so when a cyclist breaks a traffic law it is generally considered and deliberate, rather than a matter of inattention or habit.
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