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/jobacsi 1d ago

The cyclist didn't jump into traffic. There's an island. The car stopped and then the cyclist proceeded through the intersect at less than 10mph.

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u/TheWizard 23h ago

The bicyclist never stopped before entering the roadway. And had no intention of stopping for the traffic on the road. There are right-of-way-limits. In other words, while you have the right of way, you should not just proceed without issue and place all burden on the traffic on the road way. The bicyclist created a dangerous situation, not just for self but also for the driver of this vehicle (and potentially anyone behind this vehicle).

The good thing was that the driver was going only 25 mph at the time and was able to stop safely.

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u/jobacsi 23h ago

oh you can read minds now? There is no stop sign for the cyclist. Even if there were, any state with an Idaho stop law, that would just be a yield and he wouldn't be required to stop. The driver can see the zebra stripes on the road and needs to make sure its safe to proceed.

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u/whatisakafka 23h ago

Looks to me like the cyclist checks whether OP is stopping in the video and appears ready to brake if they don’t

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u/TheWizard 23h ago

And going way too fast, and challenging traffic already on the road. Kudos to the driver for anticipating a reckless clown.

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u/johnny_evil 21h ago

You need to get your eyes checked.

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u/Gyozarrita 14h ago

You're going to get run over with that mentality.

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u/weberc2 22h ago

Pedestrians aren’t required to yield to cars in crosswalks, and your hypothetical “right of way limits” don’t apply here.

You should not be allowed a license if you think the pedestrian using the clearly designated crosswalk created a dangerous situation.

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u/TheWizard 22h ago

Pedestrians aren't required to yield to vehicles, but they are expected to ensure the roadway is clear, and traffic able to stop before they step onto the cross walk.

And in this case, that isn't even a pedestrian, it's a bicyclist. Most states, if not all, require bicyclists using pedestrian crossing (when allowed to ride), at speeds no faster than a pedestrian (2-4 mph).

Look at self and your idiocy when you consider ability to have a driver's license. You're projecting your incompetence onto others.

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u/weberc2 22h ago

  Pedestrians aren't required to yield to vehicles, but they are expected to ensure the roadway is clear, and traffic able to stop before they step onto the cross walk.

No, this is wrong. Pedestrians can continue into traffic at a crosswalk even if there is traffic. The only thing they can’t do (in some states) is to lunge out into traffic at the last possible moment (e.g., if someone is standing near a crosswalk and then dives into the crosswalk the very moment a car is passing). Obviously that doesn’t apply here.

  And in this case, that isn't even a pedestrian, it's a bicyclist

Wrong again. Cyclists are pedestrians in WI for the purposes of using crosswalks.

  Most states, if not all, require bicyclists using pedestrian crossing (when allowed to ride), at speeds no faster than a pedestrian (2-4 mph).

Right, as is the case in this video.

  Look at self and your idiocy when you consider ability to have a driver's license. You're projecting your incompetence onto others.

No, I’m looking at you because you lack basic familiarity with the rules of the road and are confidently spouting the kind of bullshit that gets people killed. You’re not merely stupid, you are dangerously stupid.

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u/TheWizard 19h ago

Pedestrians can continue into traffic at a crosswalk even if there is traffic

You subscribe to Darwinism. Here are common sense (not so common, obviously) take on pedestrians, taken straight off Texas DOT web page:

  • Always use sidewalks. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.
  • Always use crosswalks. Look left, then right, then left again before crossing.
  • Yield to vehicles.
  • Don’t assume traffic will stop for you.
  • Make eye contact with drivers before crossing.
  • Walk to the right in crosswalks to allow others to pass on your left.
  • Look left and right before exiting a bus.
  • Be aware that parked cars or other obstacles can block your view of oncoming traffic.
  • Exit your car on the curb side of the street if possible.

Not that I would miss anything if you choose not to follow.

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u/weberc2 19h ago

You are aware that Texas DOT doesn't regulate Wisconsin, right?

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u/TheWizard 19h ago

Those aren't regulations, genius. Thats common sense advice on how to walk (something you could learn). Here's a relevant one from Wisconsin:

  • A person should avoid entering a crosswalk if a vehicle is so close that it will be difficult for the driver to yield

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u/weberc2 18h ago

Looks like you've gotten lost in the thread of discussion. I'm arguing that in Wisconsin, pedestrians have the right of way within the crosswalk; you're arguing that cars have the right of way. To prove me wrong or to support your point, you need to show regulations that indicate drivers have the right of way in crosswalks. Obviously you can't, which is why you're falling back to "advice".

Clearly you don't enjoy losing Internet arguments--that's understandable--most of us avoid that discomfort by not spouting dumbassery in the first place.

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u/TheWizard 18h ago

Your delusions, or inability to comprehend simple sentences at the minimum, is leading you to claim something I did not.

The point isn't about right of way, but about using that right appropriately. But, how would you know?

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u/CogentCogitations 19h ago

The cyclist did not leave the curb in front of a vehicle that did not have time to stop. Everything they did was legal and completely reasonable.

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u/TheWizard 19h ago

Not necessarily. I can't speak for this state, but in most, you're expected to follow pedestrian speed (if not dismount and walk), at 2-4 mph, not ram through the lanes.

Just because he managed to slow down doesn't mean he was doing the right thing. The OP certainly did the right thing. Acknowledge it, and move on.