![\"(Photo](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-10-at-9.27.16-AM.png\")
<\/a>Before I delve further, it\u2019s worth addressing the cause of bicycle collisions with vehicles. I\u2019ve heard drivers allege that cyclists are at fault in most bicycle-car collisions, and I\u2019ve probably heard cyclists allege the exact opposite just as often. NPR did an interesting segment in 2011, \u201cWhen Cars and Bikes Collide, Who\u2019s More Likely To Be At Fault\u201d (Thanks for doing the legwork on this one, NPR.)<\/p>\n
The article cited three different studies. The two most recent studies found bikes and automobiles at fault roughly the same percentage of time. A study performed in Hawaii during the late \u201980s found motorists at fault in approximately 84 percent of the incidents.<\/p>\n
There isn\u2019t a clear consensus drawn here. Thus, in what will be perceived as a slap in the face to everyone, I\u2019m going to declare assertions of this a moot point on both sides of the argument. My guess is that the truth lies somewhere in between.<\/p>\n
So what don\u2019t we like about reckless bikers?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m one of those lofty we\u2019re-all-good-on-the-inside softies, so I think a large part of the anger comes from a place of concern. Drivers don\u2019t want to be minding their own business, obeying the law and out of nowhere, maim a cyclist breaking a traffic law. The experience would no doubt traumatize the driver.<\/p>\n
Logic for requiring seatbelts is comparable. Sure, when a driver or passenger chooses to not wear a seatbelt, it\u2019s themselves they\u2019re endangering, but it\u2019s also a law because it affects public safety. Say I rear-end a car where the other driver isn\u2019t wearing seatbelt. Sure, it\u2019s my fault, but what could have been a fender bender turns into a fatal accident because the other person flew out of their window partly at my doing.<\/p>\n
Drivers, in a similar vein, want bicyclists to obey the law, because they don\u2019t want to be involved in a potentially scarring accident out of the blue.<\/p>\n
Despite what some construe as reckless behavior on two wheels, I\u2019m going to put forth that I\u2019m generally as concerned about the safety and wellbeing of others and myself as much as the average driver who\u2019s upset about us reckless cyclists. The thought of getting hit by a car makes my two-wheeled Mission Valley commute tough to stomach some days. When I do get behind the wheel, I\u2019ve heard I drive like a grandma, which I take as a point of pride.<\/p>\n
When I\u2019m on a bike, I run stop signs when there\u2019s no one around, or when it seems clear that it would unnecessarily slow myself or the traffic around me down, because at the end of the day, these stop signs and traffic lights were designed for automobiles, not bicyclists. Cyclists are forced to adapt to ill-fitting, often arbitrary road rules, so I think it\u2019s hasty to condemn us for resisting them.<\/p>\n
Those who\u2019ve read my previous columns probably know where I\u2019m headed with this. We need road infrastructure that caters to both drivers and cyclists. Until that happens, everybody on the road will keep suffering the consequences<\/p>\n
Since this column is the most personal part of the newspaper for me, I figure this is a fine place tell those of you who have suffered to the end of this column that this will be my last issue running Uptown News. It\u2019s been a lot of fun, but I\u2019m excited to move on to new, slightly more terrifying things. Those wishing to reach me after I depart can reach me at jhuttonmarshall@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n