Allowing cyclists to roll through stop signs doesn’t lead to riskier road behavior, according to a new study from researchers at Oregon State University.
Since 2020, Oregon has let cyclists treat flashing red lights and stop signs as if they were yield signs. Nine other states, including Washington, have adopted similar laws.
David Hurwitz, an OSU researcher and professor, said these policies help riders maintain their speed through intersections, so they can spend less time in the path of oncoming traffic.
Hurwitz also said it’s less physically taxing for cyclists to stay in motion, which could lead to more efficient travel.
“We'd like to get more people involved in active modes of transport in order to reduce single occupancy automobile trips, and to promote public health,” said Hurwitz. “Any obstacle that we can remove from making the choice to take that particular trip by bicycle is a good thing,”
To test the effects of rolling stops, OSU researchers held traffic simulations with real people, reviewing their road behavior before and after being educated about the law.
Hurwitz said once drivers learned the rules, they approached intersections at the same or slower speeds, and paid more attention to nearby bicycles. Meanwhile, he said cyclists didn’t appear to engage in more reckless behavior.
“They were making judgments for gaps to accept, and those judgments were very reasonable,” said Hurwitz. “They weren't putting themselves in danger getting too close to high-moving approaching vehicles.”
However, Hurwitz said the rolling stop is a relatively new law, and isn't well-known. In a survey of the study's Oregon participants, half of cyclists and around two-thirds of non-cyclists were initially unaware of the law.
“There's an opportunity to increase educational campaigns, to make sure that folks interacting at stop-controlled intersections know what they're supposed to do,” said Hurwitz.
According to a study funded by the Federal Highway Administration, over half of all bicycle injury crashes occur at intersections.
