Cyclists no longer required to stop at stop signs in Utah, per Governor Cox

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill into law that exempts cyclists from coming to a complete stop at stop signs, where safe, throughout the state.

After failing to pass in several previous legislative sessions, House Bill 142 sailed through the Senate vote on March 5th with 28 in favor and only one, Senator John D. Johnson, R-Ogden, opposed.

Representative Carol Spackman Moss, D-Salt Lake City, who sponsored the bill, said she thinks that it finally passed this year because an additional measure allowing cyclists to also roll through stop lights was removed. Despite failed attempts to pass this measure in Utah over the past 11 years, she repeatedly backed the bill because similar legislation in other states has shown a decrease in collisions between automobiles and cyclists when cyclists can use their judgement to navigate through quiet intersections rather than being legally required to come to a complete stop.

"Most of the accidents, from all the data I have, happen in intersections. We want to encourage people to ride bikes. Bicyclists get killed in intersections. So, anything we can do to spend less time at intersections, it’s safer," Moss said.

Read more: https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2021/03/17/cyclists-no-longer-required-stop-stop-signs-per-gov-cox/4736386001/
(St. George The Spectrum)