What is the effect of shoulder rumble strips on bicyclists?
Drivers drifting off the road not only put their own lives in serious jeopardy, but also the lives of others, including bicyclists riding along the shoulder. An estimated 90% of all cycling fatalities each year are the result of a collision with a car. In Alaska, 11 bicycle crashes have occurred due to errant motorists over 10 years, or about one per year. One half of these resulted in serious injury. Rumble strips can go a long way toward protecting cyclists from drifting drivers. Even with the safety benefits of rumble strips for cyclists, cycling groups in some states have opposed rumble strips over the concern they are uncomfortable, or possibly dangerous to cyclists who cross them. Even though shoulder rumble strips have proven safe for cyclists, highway authorities should not ignore protests from cycling advocates who claim the rumble strip is a safety liability. To do so could discourage cyclists from using the very roads that rumble strips have helped make a safer place to ride
