[BIKE: Relevant to recent discussions]

[Mike Dahmus]

Bob Farr wrote:

>And while some cyclists among us may think they are safe to choose for
>themselves which stop signs and traffic signals to obey, they need only
>miscalculate once to end up with permanently hairy palms and a lifetime of
>regret. I've certainly had enough eye opening near-brushes with death to swear
>off such activity.
>
>  
>
I don't know how much more clear I could have made this to Michael and 
Patrick. You did a good job, but I bet it still fails to penetrate.

The cyclists who run stop signs and red lights in unsafe conditions DO, 
IN FACT, think they're safe. Even the ones who we know AREN'T safe.

The guy who nearly made me wreck my car never saw me (and never saw me 
afterwards; as I noted, I didn't honk because I was trying not to 
wreck). I'll bet that if asked, he thinks he never unsafely ran a red 
light, just like Patrick and Michael claim.

There is no doubt in my mind that every cyclist who ran a red light or a 
stop sign and got squashed for the privilege did so successfully many 
times before Darwin finally caught up with him. Until that point, they 
were, if so inclined, likely claiming that the worst-case scenario would 
never happen to them, because they always 'safely' ran their red lights 
and stop signs.

Likewise, one used to find plenty of drivers who claimed they were able 
to safely drive drunk.

- MD