Originally Posted by
AlmostTrick
I agree, it's more about practicality and convenience than safety.
The wise cyclist keeps themselves aware of everything going on around them. If I was hit from behind at a stop sign (or anywhere else) I'd consider it at least partially my fault for not noticing and taking preventive action.
I wouldn't go that far. If you are stopped and see a car barrelling towards you that has not noticed that the light is against them you are going to be hit! Don't even bother thinking you are going to somehow heave yourself out of the way like people do in action movies. That's why I FRAP. If a car somehow missed the fact that the light was red and blew past into the intersection they would, in all likelihood, miss hitting me, because I would be somewhere to the right of the main path of traffic. So, to your point, "safety" is not the point of "Idaho Stops" as they are called in most places. It is the preservation of momentum that makes vehicular cycling a practical endeavor. My guess is that promoting legislation that ostensibly makes cyclists lives easier in any way might be unpalatable to the usual run of lawmakers. Pity, that.