3. Stop/Yield Before Entering a More Important Roadway
Drivers entering or crossing a roadway must yield to the traffic that has priority (see § 20-158). Stopping improves the reliability of the yield by increasing the amount of time that the driver has to see and recognize approaching traffic while in a position of superior vantage.
The most common types of bicycle-motor vehicle collisions are junction crashes are where (1) a bicyclist (usually a child bicyclist) rides out in front of a through-motorist from a driveway or side street, or (2) a motorist drives out in front of a through-bicyclist (often a bicyclist on a sidewalk). Riding in a visible, conspicuous location where other drivers are looking for traffic reduces the risk of such collisions. Riding farther into the travel lane, as shown below, makes a bicyclist more likely to be seen, and provides more time and space to react should a driver begin to pull out into the roadway.
Another common type of car-bike collision is a left-cross collision, where an oncoming driver turns left in front of the bicyclist. Riding at the right edge of the road can result in the bicyclist being screened from the oncoming driver, while riding farther left in the lane provides better visibility, as shown below.
