Effectiveness of “Rolling Stop” Laws for Bicycles
According to a recent study, “rolling stop” rules that permit bikes to treat stop signs like yield signs are not harmful. Lab tests using bicycle and car simulations reveal that once people are aware of how the legislation operates, both bike riders and cars behave safely at junctions.
Professor of transportation engineering at Oregon State University David Hurwitz, the primary researcher, explained that prior studies have mostly examined crash data analysis and the reasons behind riders’ motivation to do a rolling stop even when it is against the law in their state. “No one has examined the effectiveness of bicycle rolling-stop laws or the results of educating the public about them.” Eight states have passed rolling stop regulations for bikes, also referred to as the “Idaho stop,” according to academics. In 1982, Idaho took the lead, and in 2019 and 2020, Oregon and Washington followed. The remaining states are Utah, North Dakota, Delaware, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Since bikes complete stops more quickly than cars, the laws allow riders to maintain their momentum, which should lower traffic at junctions and the danger of crashes, according to studies.
Hurwitz pointed out that over half of all bicycle-car collisions occur at crossings. 1,105 bicycle fatalities in the United States in 2022 resulted from collisions with motor vehicles, a 13% rise from the year before.
Study Design and Findings
Researchers watched 60 participants in pairs as they used different motor vehicle and bicycle simulators in 16 “live-interaction” situations for this study. The car and bike approached and maneuvered through a four-way stop intersection simultaneously in each case.
According to a university news release, Hurwitz stated, “We were able to assess driver and rider behavior as well as their comprehension of the law thanks to our networked simulator study design.” Hurwitz noted that prior studies have demonstrated that motorists are more likely to act aggressively toward cyclists when they believe the riders are breaking the law.
This study shown that cyclists preferred to yield rather than stop at junctions after learning about the rolling-stop regulation, which allowed them to cross more quickly. Conversely, drivers who were informed of the legislation approached junctions at a similar or slower pace.
Implications for Policy and Education
“The research provides decision-makers with information to support potential legislative policies, set up educational programs, and design robust enforcement practices,” Hurwitz said. “The findings suggest more outreach in regard to rolling-stop laws would be useful.” According to Hurwitz, the Pacific Northwest is especially crucial for this kind of education because Oregon and Washington have two of the highest rates of bike commuters in the country.
Researchers found that 2% of workers in Oregon and less than 1% of workers in Washington travel by bicycle. In Portland, there are roughly 22,000 bicycle commuters, while in Seattle, there are roughly 17,000.
