Reply #42: And if that bicyclist is a 7 year old? Would that make you feel better if

[lindisfarne]

you hit them?

Drivers in Seattle look, much more actively, and see bikers and pedestrians, compared to in Southern California. Drivers here disobey traffic laws continuously (I've been honked at for stopping on stop signs; CA could solve its budgetary woes simply by enforcing traffic laws).

I don't know how many times I've seen drivers making a right turn, only looking to the right for cars, and failing to see a pedestrian crossing in front of them. (I won't begin to cross until I make eye contact with the driver). What if a kid on a bike happened to start crossing in front of the car? If the driver hits the pedestrian/biker, it's really hard to prove that they didn't "look both ways" before moving, yet if you observe drivers, you'll see 50% of them don't "look both ways". They speed up to red stop lights/stop signs and slam on the brakes: if someone happens to start crossing (on the green) at just the wrong time, they could easily get hit.

And if they would drive the speed limit, rather than 10-15 mph over it (in residential areas), their stopping distance would be much smaller and if they hit a kid, they'd be going much slower, even if someone did dart unexpectedly in front of them.