stop – The Wise Drive

May 5, 2022May 4, 2022

Yielding at Stop Signs and Getting Stuck at Intersections

Q: Can you explain the new safety stop law for bikes? Also, what are bike riders supposed to do if they’re at a traffic signal and the sensor in the pavement doesn’t ever notice that the bike is there?

A: Based on email I’ve received and conversations I’ve had, it seems there’s some confusion about a relatively new law. A year and a half ago, Washington’s law permitting cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs took effect. It’s commonly called the Idaho stop (Idaho was the first state to pass the law, in 1982), the Delaware yield (the second state, in 2017), or the safety stop. If you’re a cyclist and you think this law gives you permission to blow through stop signs, that’s ridiculous, it doesn’t. If you’re a driver and you’re mad that the law let’s cyclists blow through stop signs, relax, it doesn’t.

September 16, 2021September 22, 2021

Short-Stopping: Where’s The Line?

Q: I sometimes see drivers at four-way stop intersections short-stopping (coming to a stop well before the stop line). It seems to me like a jerk move; they do it so that they stop before the rest of the drivers because whoever stops first is the next to go through the intersection. Is that legal?

A: I wasn’t familiar with the term “short-stopping” prior to this question, so of course, I Googled it. I learned that along with your definition, it refers to a kind of telecom fraud as well as when a drug dealer infringes on another dealer’s territory. Who knew? I also discovered that lots of people (at least on the internet) are as irritated by it as you are. I’m speaking of short-stopping at an intersection, not the other two kinds.

September 17, 2020September 16, 2020

New Stop Sign Law for Cyclists – Part Two

Last week I announced the upcoming change to the law that allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs. It took two parts to give it proper consideration, so if you haven’t already read part one, do that now. It’s okay, I’ll wait. I’m in no hurry.

Now that you’re all caught up on the history and data we covered part one, part two looks at how this law works in the real world and why you might like it, even if you don’t ride a bike.

September 10, 2020September 19, 2020

New Stop Sign Law For Cyclists – Part One

There’s a new law I want to tell you about (or, more accurately, a change to a current law), but before I do, I’m asking you to have an open mind. And be patient; to give this change of law the attention it deserves I’m going to split this into two parts. Sometimes the safest strategies seem, on the surface, to be counterintuitive, and I think this is one of those situations.

Okay, ready? As of October 1^st, cyclists in Washington will be allowed to treat stop signs as yield signs. I’ll let that sink in for a minute. Already I can hear the voices of cyclists and drivers in my head pushing back against this crazy idea.

May 5, 2019May 3, 2019

The Idaho Stop – It’s Not Really Stopping

Q: Are you familiar with the Idaho Stop? It’s the law, in Idaho of course, that lets cyclists treat a stop sign like a yield sign. What do you think of that? It seems like there would be more crashes. Is it more dangerous than making cyclists stop?

A: Since 1982 Idaho has allowed cyclists to roll through stop signs after yielding to other traffic, and for over three decades it was just this odd little rule in one smallish state. That law became known as the Idaho Stop because, well, you could only legally do it in Idaho. Why are we talking about an Idaho law in a column on Washington traffic laws? First of all, Idaho is our neighbor, and also, the law is spreading. Delaware legalized the Idaho Stop in 2017, but called it the Delaware Stop. Last month Arkansas adopted the law; no word yet on whether they’re calling it the Arkansas Stop. Some cities and counties in Colorado allow it, and several other states in recent years have considered but not yet enacted the law.