The Idaho Stop: Why Bikers Don’t Stop at Stop Signs and Why They Shouldn’t Have To

Stop signs are a tool that traffic engineers use to regulate traffic flow through intersections or mid-block crosswalks. They are the most important sign on the road; so important that they use a distinctive red background with white text instead of following the general rule, a white background with black text. While stop signs generally save lives, when applied to bikes they can actually be much more of a danger than a safety measure.

Many drivers see bikers ignoring stop signs as a way of “stealing” the right of way, or because they are “above the law”. In reality, they are doing what is rational for them. What many non-biker drivers miss is that a bike takes more time to accelerate from a complete stop than a car and thus takes more time to cross the intersection. While it may not seem like much, that extra time could mean things turning deadly. According to the NHTSA data, in 2020, 26% of cyclist fatalities occur at intersections. Even without a full stop, a bike can take as long to cross the intersection as a car accelerating from a complete stop.

The studies have made this clear enough for several states to have passed laws that permit bikes to treat a stop as a yield, otherwise known as the Idaho Stop. When Idaho passed a law decriminalizing the practice in 1982, bike fatalities in the state saw a 14.5% reduction. In the decades following, 12 other states and DC have since passed laws permitting the Idaho Stop with New Mexico being the latest in 2025. In addition to the Idaho Stop, some states also permit bikes to treat red lights as stop signs, requiring a complete stop before proceeding when safe.

The California legislature has passed Idaho Stop bills more than once, but each time it was met with a veto. The California Bike Coalition, otherwise known as CalBike, is continuing to push for the practice to be legalized.

All in all, other states' experience with the Idaho Stop shows that bicycles are safer if they can yield instead of stop at stop signs. As advocates are telling our legislature, this is a safety improvement that works.