why drivers always point to cyclists as bad

[grey]

I watched someone fly right through a stop sign earlier today. I'm glad my friend and I had stopped at our end of the intersection (three way stop) and hadn't just figured the lady would stop and yield right-of way and gone on with our ride.

[jessmarimba]

I almost got T-boned (in my car) yesterday by someone who either wasn't going to stop at a red light or didn't realize where the stopping point was (this is in a construction zone).

I saw my life flash before my eyes. Thank god it was only 2 miles from my house, or I would've had to stop and recompose myself.

If I run a light on my bike, I primarily endanger myself, and secondarily whatever drivers I scare the poop out of. Cars who run red lights primarily endanger others, since side impacts are much less protected than front-end collisions.

So if someone pulls the "cyclists don't follow traffic rules" etc on me I just shrug, say that I do, and that Darwin will take care of those who don't. It doesn't work the same for cars.

(Just to clarify - I don't run lights. Ever. Not even the ones I can't trip.)

[Tri Girl]

Whenever someone gets started on bikes breaking the law, I always point out the one time I hit my brakes so hard and crashed in an intersection because a car ran a red light and nearly took me out (while on my bike).
I've never almost killed someone on my bike. I've almost been killed 3 times on my bike. When I break the law (which I honestly never intentionally do), I'm not going to kill someone. When someone in a car does those things, people can die.

I think it's true that you always condemn the groups you're not a part of. Human nature, I suppose.

The other day I was at a park and watched the intersection near me. I saw a number of cars roll through the intersection, illegal lane changes, speeding, and most offensive: texting while not even looking at the road.
In the grand scheme of things, I think cyclists are not the ones endangering society.

[Cataboo]

I wouldn't say that when cyclists do something illegal - noone else is going to die - if a car swerves to avoid a cyclist who does something illegal, who knows what that car will hit.

[Tri Girl]

OK, that's true.