Research Affirms Safety of ‘Idaho Stop’

Two new studies affirm the benefits of the Bicycle Safety Stop, also known as the Idaho Stop or the bike stop-as-yield, reports Jared Sanchez in Streetsblog California.

Sanchez notes that cyclists aren’t the only ones who routinely treat stop signs as yield signs. “Of course, many people in cars also roll through stop signs when there are no other vehicles present; this is a common and logical behavior for all road users, though it carries different risks for people operating two-ton machines. For bike riders, stop-as-yield is essential for efficient riding because it conserves the momentum lost when starting after coming to a complete stop.”

One study showed that bike riders can safely navigate intersections and share the road with people in cars by treating stop signs as yields. However, “The study concluded that stop-as-yield laws would work better if states included information about them in driver handbooks — something even Idaho does not do.”

A second study revealed that almost all road users — people on bikes, walking, and in cars — reported occasionally breaking laws. While drivers and pedestrians reported flouting the law to save time, most cyclists reported they broke traffic rules for safety reasons. “Again, this study finds a need for better public education so people driving and biking can share the road safely.”