Raise the Hammer

Cycling insurance???

I haven't felt the need to add anything to this discussion, mostly because Sean always hits the nail right on the head leaving little else to say. But mandatory insurance for cyclists? That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard. That would present and immeasurable cost to society due to kids not geting excercise and more people relying on cars. Nobody is going to pay for the privelage of taking their bike on the road.

We might as well have mandatory insurance against accidentally tripping someone while waiting a the bus stop, because that's about equivalent odds to actually causing a serious injury with a bike.

I'll admit to being an anything-goes cyclist, and that means daily, year round. In my 20 years of biking I haven't caused a single person any harm or even came close to it.

On the other hand, close calls with drivers while on foot, on a bike, or in a car, are a weekly occurrance.

I support biking and more rights for cyclists because cycling is THE single most efficient mode of transportation. It does no harm to the environment, uses no energy, costs nothing, and actually pays you in the form of better health. That should have some influence on our policies.

I would actually argue that the law should be harsher on careless driving, because it is not only dangerous and illegal, but it discourages people from doing something that benefits society. If cyclists were afforded more leeway and better protection on the roads, it would cause a reduction in unneccessary driving, a socially harmful activity.

This should be common sense. A car is a dangerous weapon in the hands of a careless driver. A bike is more like an extension of your own body.

I'm not some radical car-hater, though I sure do come across like one. I still drive sometimes, in fact I used to drive every day, and I've never felt threatened by anyone on a bike. I have no trouble slowing down to pass bikers safely, in fact on the rare occasions when I actually have to, it makes me glad to see them taking their rightful place on the road.

It only makes sense that we should yield and be courteous to the slowest, most vulnerable road users. Cyclists yield to pedestrains, drivers yield to cyclists, drivers yield to pedestrians. With power comes responsibility.