The need to share public infrastructure with larger vehicles is dangerous for cyclists. Drivers don’t always yield the right of way as they should at intersections. They fail to properly monitor their surroundings and may overlook a cyclist when turning or merging into another lane of traffic.
Bike lanes and other infrastructure can help separate cyclists from motor vehicle traffic, but there is still a significant degree of risk, especially at intersections. One of the various policies suggested to reduce bicycle collision rates is sometimes known as a bicycle safety stop, Idaho stop or a stop-as-yield policy.
What is a stop-as-yield rule?
California state traffic statutes require that drivers stop at intersections where there are signs or lights. Even if there are no other vehicles nearby, drivers have to come to a complete stop and possibly wait for a light to change before they can proceed through the intersection.
Police officers can issue tickets for any driver who performs a rolling stop by slowing down but proceeding through the intersection without stopping. A stop-as-yield policy allows a cyclist to continue through an intersection when there is no other traffic nearby. They can treat the stop sign as a yield sign in the absence of other vehicles.
How does a stop-as-yield rule protect cyclists?
If cyclists must wait at an intersection until the light changes, there could be traffic approaching by the time they can access the intersection. Having another vehicle present at the intersection contributes to crash risk regardless of other factors.
As such, allowing cyclists to proceed through an unoccupied intersection without approaching vehicles is theoretically safer than requiring that cyclists wait at the intersection for the light to change, regardless of what that might mean about the overall volume of traffic.
Any rules that reduce traffic congestion and help cyclists take advantage of unoccupied roads could theoretically reduce the rate of car-bicycle crashes. California lawmakers have yet to adopt a stop-as-yield rule, but changes in traffic statutes can theoretically prove beneficial for cyclists.
Cyclists involved in crashes may need help evaluating their options and holding drivers accountable, and that’s okay. Until better infrastructure and traffic statutes reduce crash rates, cyclists may continue to require legal support as they address the aftermath of preventable cycling crashes, as the process of seeking legal and financial recovery from those responsible is still not generally a straightforward one.
