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I bike to work everyday and I don't follow the rules of the road, and neither should other cyclists. In a system designed for cars, it's just false piety and w

I bike to work everyday and I don't follow the rules of the road, and neither should other cyclists. In a system designed for cars, it's just false piety and won't keep you any safer. The one rule I do follow is that I am courteous and polite to everyone, drivers and pedestrians alike, and I remain hyper alert to everything that is going on around me. That's the only rule you need.

ilovecars2 9y ago
IMO The point of the rules are to remove as much subjection and interpretation to how road users should behave as possible. For example, what should the rules be when overtaking other riders? Should I overtake on the outside or the inside? We know that having a rule on overtaking makes it much safer. Courteous and politeness are great, but a lot of people don’t drive/ride/walk like that. What happens then?
- gerbilly 9y ago
  If people aren't inclined to be polite or courteous, what makes you so sure they will follow 'the rules' anyway?
u801e 9y ago
But following the rules makes you predictable in terms of what actions you're going to take and makes it easier for other road users to interact with you in a predictable manner.
- gerbilly 9y ago
  I don't ride erratically because it freaks people and it's impolite. It depends how many people are around, and on the entire situation. I've had sketchy situations when stopping at stop signs. The drivers in my area don't expect cyclists to stop at stop signs, since most don't. So in that case following the rules made me more unpredictable, and confused everyone involved.
  - u801e 9y ago
    I think the main problem is that we have traffic control devices that most people don't follow. For example, stop signs at roadways where yield signs would suffice. Traffic lights which don't switch to blinking mode when traffic volumes are low. But there are situations where not following the rules makes things more dangerous for those involved. For example, a driver stopping to allow someone to make a left turn in front of them. That can be seen as a courteous gesture, but the car the next lane over that doesn't stop ends up broadsiding the vehicle making the left turn. In this case, just following the rules of the road would have prevented a crash like that.

ilovecars2 9y ago

IMO The point of the rules are to remove as much subjection and interpretation to how road users should behave as possible. For example, what should the rules be when overtaking other riders? Should I overtake on the outside or the inside? We know that having a rule on overtaking makes it much safer. Courteous and politeness are great, but a lot of people don’t drive/ride/walk like that. What happens then?

gerbilly 9y ago
If people aren't inclined to be polite or courteous, what makes you so sure they will follow 'the rules' anyway?

u801e 9y ago

But following the rules makes you predictable in terms of what actions you're going to take and makes it easier for other road users to interact with you in a predictable manner.

gerbilly 9y ago
I don't ride erratically because it freaks people and it's impolite. It depends how many people are around, and on the entire situation. I've had sketchy situations when stopping at stop signs. The drivers in my area don't expect cyclists to stop at stop signs, since most don't. So in that case following the rules made me more unpredictable, and confused everyone involved.
- u801e 9y ago
  I think the main problem is that we have traffic control devices that most people don't follow. For example, stop signs at roadways where yield signs would suffice. Traffic lights which don't switch to blinking mode when traffic volumes are low. But there are situations where not following the rules makes things more dangerous for those involved. For example, a driver stopping to allow someone to make a left turn in front of them. That can be seen as a courteous gesture, but the car the next lane over that doesn't stop ends up broadsiding the vehicle making the left turn. In this case, just following the rules of the road would have prevented a crash like that.