There was no AG column last week because I spent the weekend driving
to Frankfort and back. I performed rather a lot of Idaho stops along
the way -- out in the bean fields, one can see for miles in every
direction.

I quite frequently see cars performing Idaho stops when I'm riding
around Kosciusko County.

I don't approve of legalizing Idaho stops for bikes because it
promulgates the myth that the rules for bicycles are different from
the rules for cars. Whenever two systems of rules co-exist, conflicts
happen.

Still, I've read that when it's safe to run a stop sign, running it is
safer than coming to a full stop, and that supposition makes a lot of
sense, if only because it reduces time spent in a danger zone.

But let's emphasize "when it is safe".

Whenever "right on red" is introduced, a lot of crashes are caused by
people who miss the "after stopping and carefully checking the
traffic" part of the permission. I don't want you to miss the
"approach the intersection prepared to stop, and check carefully for
other traffic" part when I encourage you to run stop signs.

Come to think of it, both "right on red" and "Idaho stop" are avatars
of "if nobody else wants it, you may take it" -- in this case, "it" is
the right of way.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

Post Script: in a car or on a bike, if you miss an entire police
cruiser when checking for traffic, you DESERVE a ticket.