Bikers need to be more conscious of traffic laws

By Madeline Collins:

Throughout San Francisco you see share the road signs wherever there are bike lanes.

The signs are speaking to drivers, telling them to respect bicyclists and treat them as if they are just another vehicle.

I will concede that many vehicle drivers are not considerate to bikers and do not look out for them or their safety.

However, the concept of share the road needs to go both ways.

For their own safety, bikers need to be aware of vehicles behind them who may try to pass, as well as vehicles in front of them who could suddenly turn into the bike lane.

As is the case with vehicle drivers, many bikers seem to believe they are exempt from basic traffic laws.

Quite frequently, I see bikes fly through stop signs and red lights, turn without a hand signal or ride at night without proper lighting.

I am a vehicle driver actually concerned about the safety of bike riders in the city and around campus. Sometimes I feel as though I am more concerned for their safety than they are.

I get frustrated every time I see them put their own safety at risk.

I get frustrated when I stop at a stop sign, look both ways and then proceed to be cut off by a bike and have to slam on my brakes to avoid them.

I get frustrated when I stop for a pedestrian but the pedestrian has to stop for a bike.

How is this fair?

They can get cited for traffic violations just as vehicles can and these violations put their safety and the safety of others in danger.

Why do we have to watch out for them and assume they aren’t going to follow basic traffic laws?

All I know for sure is that as a vehicle owner, I’m scared that a simple mistake could possibly cost them their lives.

Despite who is at fault, the driver of the vehicle would not likely be the one who will be injured or the one to lose their life. It would be the biker.