mcours2006

Just curious what you'd consider to be reckless riding on your commute, and if you are guilty of it.

Mr Pink57

I have but one issue with most cyclist/commuters. This comes at 4 way stops. You can probably guess what I am going to say and that's the total lack of stopping. I have seen 3 cars roll up to an intersection near my apt and a cyclist not even slow down just blows right thru the stop sign and does not even looking, I genuinely believe they think cars are suppose to stop for them.

I do not come to a complete stop myself most of the time, I just slow roll if there is no car, a car is signaling me thru, or I can see the whites of their eyes.

bmthom.gis

When I think of reckless cycling, I think of Lucas Brunelle. I don't ride like that.

bmthom.gis

I approach 4 ways without stopping - but it's slow enough where I may as well be stopped...I'll hang a meter or so back from the entrance to the intersection and slow pedal until it is my turn to go through. But what other people do isn't really my business

Mr Pink57

These type of things end up becoming my business when I have to wait for the police to arrive to give an eyewitness account of what happened.....

I do similar to what you do but only if there are no cars coming up to the 4 way.

bmthom.gis

There's never other cyclists for me to be witness to. I'm the one and only until I get within a mile or so of the university campus. Most of the students all ride on the sidewalks.

As for cars...they are the only reason I slow. If I don't see any coming that would have the right of way over me,I don't bother stopping. I take the lane when I approach. I'm moving slow enough where I'm not doing for time, I just don't want to unclip for the 5 seconds it might take for the right of way to be mine - or to stop behind a line of cars, come to a stop, wait 10 seconds to move up a car length and repeat.

Darth Lefty 

"Any person who drives any vehicle upon a highway in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving."

A cop once told me it was three consecutive minor moving violations, or one major.

bmthom.gis

South Carolina does not define a bicycle as a vehicle...I'm good to go! I really would be happy with a lot more distinctions between bicycles and cars written into law.

Interestly enough, throughout parts of Virginia, the speed limit is 70 mph. If you are pulled over doing an excess of 80, you can be given a ticket for reckless driving. Usually I think for that you need to be going in excess of 15-20 mph over the posted limit.

The most reckless people I see are all driving cars. They probably don't know they are reckless though, behind all that metal and crumple zones, and airbags.

alan s 

When you don't wreck, you are wreckless.

Darth Lefty 

Time to get a trials bike and head for the gridlocked freeway!

In spite of the finer points, willful disregard for safety of persons or property seems like a good enough definitition.

Recklessness legal definition of Recklessness

The stuff at the Negligence link is actually a lot more interesting and nuanced. Recklessness seems more like an additional law to create additional punishment when you throw the book at the perp.

wunderkind

Erratic cycling. Darting about without due notice. Hand gestures not cool anymore?
Biking at night without lights.... dressed in dark clothing.

Sidewalk cycling when there are clearly marked cycling lanes. Not reckless but idiotic.

prathmann

Similar to California. However both states have the equal rights and duties phrase that still requires you to stop at stop signs and red lights. In South Carolina the applicable section is:
"SECTION 56‑5‑3420. Rights and duties of bicyclists generally.
A person riding a bicycle upon a roadway must be granted all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except as to special provisions in this article and except as to those provisions of this chapter which by their nature can have no application."

Leebo

2 wheel drifts are sub optimal for a biking experience. Loose sand over hard packed gravel, way too fast on the cornering speed. Stayed upright. Too fast cornering on some wet ground up leaves. Stopped with left foot down and piles of brown sludge in front of it, as well as on the front sides of the tires. Makes for for fast beating heart.

1983

Blatantly, flippantly, irreverently not following laws, rules, etiquette or norms just because. Alley cat racing through downtown, blowing lights "because it's clear", riding far too slowly on busy roads, riding against traffic, squeezing through busy sidewalks, riding too fast on the MUP then posting on bf about how much you hate the MUP because of the damn pedestrians, etc.

I am guilty of committing reckless acts but most of the time I keep myself in check so as 1) not to be an ass and 2) arrive home in one piece for my wife and son. Occasionally my attitude gets the best of my good judgment.

tarwheel 

I consider reckless riding to be disregarding rules of the road, such as:
- Running red lights and stop signs without slowing down or stopping, particularly if other vehicles are present.
- Riding in the dark or low-light conditions without high viz gear, headlights and taillights.
- Not having functional brakes on your bike, or not properly maintain other equipment such as tires.
- Riding against the stream of traffic, otherwise known as "salmoning"
- Riding on sidewalks except in cases where lanes are blocked, road construction or otherwise unsafe conditions.
- Wearing earbuds, headphones or other devices that prevent you from hearing.
- Riding too fast for conditions on greenways and MUTs shared by walkers, runners, etc.
- Passing other cyclists, walkers or runners too closely and without signaling with a bell or saying something.
- Riding the wrong way on one-way streets or in the wrong lane on 2-way streets

bmthom.gis

Now come on...how am I supposed to give smart assed remarks when someone brings reason around. We are exempt from DUI laws here, though, not being a vehicle. Same thing with 50cc scooters.

Anyway, everyone has a different situation. Just ride how you like, it isn't reckless cycling, it is reckless driving that should be stamped out. At least cyclists should know their own mortality and limits.

kickstart

Riding in a way that causes attentive drivers to react reflexively in a defense manner.

lostarchitect 

Just because you didn't see them look, doesn't mean they didn't look. It doesn't mean they did look, either, but a lot more cyclists would be dead if they really didn't look.

canklecat

For me, riding too slowly on certain uphill stretches of streets where I know it's safer and more logical to take the sidewalk or unpaved section above the curb. Insisting on riding the street in some tricky sections is just dumb and dangerous for everyone - mostly for me - especially during peak traffic hours.

This only applies to certain tricky areas I encounter frequently. Usually the detour above the curb lasts only 50-100 yards. And there are rarely any pedestrians (almost nobody walks in Texas). If there are, I just slow down, announce myself, give 'em wide berth and pass safely.

MMACH 5

I'm kind of a nanny when it comes to stop signs, signalling and traffic lights.

I guess the most reckless thing I do is bombing a hill along my commute. I'm disappointed if I don't crack 40mph.

no motor?

Riding like a bike courier.

Jim from Boston

That’s a well-chosen, seemingly comprehensive set of “reckless” behaviors, @tarwheel, that repeatedly appear for discussions on the Forums. Without acceding to all your items (or confessing to any possible transgressions) as reckless, might I add filtering to the list, for completeness sake. Would you consider that as reckless too?

Just curious.

curbtender

I had a lady head wrong way, straight at my garbage truck while chugging back a bottle of champagne. When I honked, she threw the bottle at the truck and hung a U. She headed into a large intersection, dumped the bike in the middle, and went for a sit down at the curb. Pretty reckless and after seeing it done by another person, I vowed never to do it again...

wolfchild

Cyclists who do things which endanger pedestrians and other cyclists.

mcours2006

Rolling by a four-way stop sign--guilty, but only on the early morning ride when there's absolutely no one around. Yes, I know, still no excuse, but at least no one around to gripe about it.

Riding fast on sidewalk with pedestrians present.

Dark clothing/no lights at night.

No helmet.