Last week, as a friend and I were driving through Campustown, we were met head-on by a girl on a bicycle going against the traffic. My friend was able to swerve just enough to miss her and not hit the car in the next lane. After that, we spent a majority of the ride sharing similar experiences of bicyclists creating dangerous situations for themselves and drivers.

But I’m not the only one with such stories. Whether it’s someone crossing in front of a moving car or swerving between students on campus, just about everybody has a story of a bicyclist scaring them half to death.

According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, “a person riding a bicycle on the street or highway has all the rights, and is required to know and obey all traffic laws and rules of the road, applicable to the driver of a motor vehicle,” and violators of these laws “are subject to the same fines as motor vehicle drivers.”

After driving around Ames, and especially Campustown, it’s obvious that these rules are either widely unknown or blatantly disregarded. This creates safety issues not only for bikers, but for drivers and pedestrians as well.

The truth is that if a bicyclist gets hit by a car after failing to stop at a sign or traffic light, he or she is just as responsible as a driver who had done the same thing. The accident would be the bicyclist’s fault, Yet so many drivers, including myself, still get colorful insults thrown at them when an accident almost happens at the fault of a biker. You’re right — how silly of me to expect you to obey the law. Next thing you know, criminals will be arresting me for being a law abiding citizen.

Is it really too much to expect bicyclists to know the laws that govern them? When you look at the strict system our society has for cars and the absence of a similar system for bikes, the answer may not be as clear as you’d think. While ignorance is certainly no excuse to disobey the law, our society does little to help the situation.

As and example, let’s look at what it takes to get a car and a driver’s license. It means you’ve passed driver’s ed, are at least 16 years old, registered your car with the government, took a vision test, took an exam for your knowledge of road rules, and — hopefully — have car insurance. What does it mean to have a bike? You had some money and bought one. While the law states that you are required to know the traffic rules, there is nobody enforcing it with bike registration or aptitude tests. Bikers and drivers are using the same roads, and drivers are required to learn the law while bikers aren’t. In fact, you’re not even required by law to keep yourself safe with a helmet, while drivers get a ticket of at least $35 for not wearing a seat belt.

Another contributing factor is the lack of enforcement of bikers who disobey the law. According to Mike Brennan, investigations commander for the Ames Police Department, “We don’t give tickets to bicyclists very often at all. We have bigger priorities. It just isn’t realistic to stop every bike while we’re driving cars, and we don’t have the manpower. If we do stop a bicyclist, we’re more inclined to strike up a conversation and let them know what the laws are rather than give them a ticket. But from another angle, if there’s an accident and a biker or pedestrian is at fault, we’ll give them a ticket just like we would the driver of a car.”

While this approach isn’t entirely passive, it isn’t very aggressive either. It’s understandable that motor vehicles cause the most damage and would be a priority, and it may be true that a citywide crackdown on bicyclist moving violations would be unrealistic. However, there is a better middle ground that can be reached. Even a general effort to spread awareness of the law and endorse safe bike riding could make a big difference. Another widely unknown rule is that “All bicycles on the ISU campus must be registered and/or licensed through Iowa State University or the city of Ames,” according to the ISU Policy Library. According to the policy, parking bicycles on fixtures other than bike racks carries the penalty of having your lock cut and your bike impounded. This rule goes largely unnoticed and unenforced.

In order to fix this problem, everyone must be knowledgeable and vigilant. Drivers need to expect bikers to follow the rules of the road just as they would other drivers, not give them special treatment. It would be great if we could put more resources into a police division that is better equipped to handle bicyclists, but right now that doesn’t seem realistic. The easiest way to solve the problem is to raise awareness and make sure bicyclists understand the responsibility that comes with riding a bike on the street.

– Thomas Hummer is a junior in English from Ames.