The Idaho stop is the common name for laws that allow bicyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign, and a red light as a stop sign.[1] It first became law in Idaho in 1982, but was not adopted elsewhere until Delaware adopted a limited stop-as-yield law, the "Delaware Yield", in 2017.[2] Arkansas was the second US state to legalize both stop-as-yield and red-light-as-stop in April 2019. Studies in Delaware and Idaho have shown significant decreases in crashes at stop-controlled intersections. In France and Belgium, some intersections use red-light-as-yield signs.
These exceptions for bicyclists respond to the fact that traffic light sensors may not recognize cyclists. Similar laws also encourage riders to take safer low-traffic streets instead of faster high-traffic roads.[3]
- ^ Szczepanski, Carolyn (May 18, 2013). "Bike Law University". League of American Bicyclists. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ "Best Bike Laws in the Country? Check Out Delaware". Bike Law.
- ^ Stromberg, Joseph (May 9, 2014). "Cyclists should be able to roll through stop signs". Vox. Retrieved March 7, 2024.