Study shows Idaho Stop makes for safer biking

By Paul Sassone For Chronicle Media

One year after Idaho passed the law cyclist injuries dropped 14.5 percent with no increase in fatalities. (Photo by Huhu Uet)

The Idaho Stop.

No, it’s not a new dance.

The Idaho Stop is a controversial bike safety proposal.

“Policies for Pedaling: Managing the Tradeoff Between Safety and Speed for Bicycling in Chicago” is a recently released study by the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University.

The study’s major recommendations include allowing bicycle riders to disobey some traffic laws.

It is estimated that only 1-in-25 bike riders obey stop signs and stop lights. Under the assumption that most cyclists already don’t stop at stop signs and even stop lights, the DePaul study recommends Illinois adopt the Idaho Stop.

In 1982, the state of Idaho passed a law that permits bike riders at four-way stop intersections to stop or yield based on traffic conditions. The law allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and stop lights as stop signs.

Opponents of the Idaho Stop say the law encourages bike riders to disobey all traffic laws.

Idaho Stop supporters say the law merely recognizes what cyclists already do and may make bike riders more sensitive to traffic.

One year after Idaho passed the law cyclist injuries dropped 14.5 percent with no increase in fatalities.

Another study found that in municipalities that adopted the Idaho Stop bike and car accidents decreased.

The DePaul study also recommends that fines for cyclists who commit minor traffic offenses be lowered, or that traffic safety classes be required in lieu of fines.

Better signage that encourages motorists and cyclists to share the road also is recommended.

There is no legislation pending in Illinois to adopt the Idaho Stop.

And one area newspaper already has editorialized against adopting the Idaho Stop.

Whether or not the Idaho Stop is a good idea, the DePaul study highlights the need for cyclists and motorists to be more mindful of sharing the road, said Michael Keating, an attorney who specializes in bicycle accidents.

“You have to give respect to get respect,” he said. “I’m sometimes concerned that scofflaw cyclists aren’t giving respect, so the ones who do adhere to the Rules of the Road don’t get that

respect in return.”

 

 

 

— Study shows Idaho Stop makes for safer biking —