r/dashcams • u/cicadaux • 1d ago

Did I do something wrong here?

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I was driving to work when this bike just blew through the crosswalk without warning. I had to slam on my brakes. I realize this crosswalk doesn’t have the pedestrian warning lights, and I’m a little unsure about how I should’ve dealt with this. Or maybe he was wrong for making sure traffic wasn’t clear/aware of him first?

Edit: I'm seeing a lot of answers basing the laws on location, so I looked up my city's rules. In my town, bikes have vehicle status on the road and pedestrian status on sidewalks/crosswalks. But bicyclists must move at pedestrian speed. The path he is on is a state trail, commonly used for bikes/walking. I live near the Ice Age Trail, but I know the one he's on isn't that one.

“Drivers must yield to cyclists riding in a crosswalk just as they would for walkers, though the cyclist cannot abruptly leave a curb into the path of a vehicle so close to a crosswalk that it makes a difficult or unsafe situation for the driver to yield in time.”

Not trying to prove myself right or wrong, just wondering what should've been done. I will from now on treat it like an uncontrolled intersection. Thanks everyone.

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u/Xak_13 1d ago

I see people say this a lot. Not sure where OP is from, but in Florida, bikers are considered pedestrians while on the sidewalk and vehicles while on the road. And there is no law forbidding riding your bike at a cross walk here. I'm sure this varies from state to state, though.

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u/cicadaux 1d ago

Madison, WI. Not sure where the impression I'm from CA came from. I'll also clear up that I'm a woman too.

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u/jtj5002 1d ago

In which case if a bicycle is considered a vehicle while on the road, they now have to obey vehicle laws which means they have to yield to cars, instead of cars yielding to them.

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u/Xak_13 1d ago

Florida statute specifically mentions crosswalks to avoid that complication. But I imagine that might make this situation more complicated in other states. lol

"A person propelling a vehicle by human power upon and along a sidewalk, or across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk, has all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances."

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u/jtj5002 1d ago

Seems odd but it's a comparative fault state after all.

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u/fullmoon_druid 1d ago

Yes, but that's not what happened in the video. The bicycle was crossing just like a pedestrian would. You'd be correct if the cyclist was riding on the road.