I read with interest the comments and the poll accompanying the story on Patch about House Bill 2860 taking effect as of Jan. 1. That's the bill that allows motorcyclists to treat a red light like a stop sign if the light fails to turn green "within a reasonable period of time."

Safety seems to be the primary concern for most weighing in, and rightly so. In the poll, 33 of 45 respondents said allowing motorcyclists to proceed through red lights if the bike doesn't trip the sensor to gain the green would make the streets more dangerous. Norman Kozlarek foresees T-bone accidents, with motorcyclists pulling in front of unsuspecting motorists piloting oncoming or crossing cars. The theory goes that the car drivers won't know the law, while motorcyclists surely will. "Thor themighty" also sees trouble and wonders who would be responsible if a motorist struck and killed a motorcyclist proceeding through an intersection.

I ride a motorcycle. So does my wife and so do a lot of people we know. I should preface what I'm about to write by saying that the people with whom we ride are not the morons you see weaving in and out of city street traffic at 50 miles per hour or popping wheelies on the interstate at 80 miles an hour. We are the motorcycling majority – cautious, responsible, safety-conscious. And I am here to tell you we are not about to pull out in front of you, or turn in front of you. We are more scared of you than you should be of us.

Studies of motorcycle accident statistics has produced a ton of data. Excluding alcohol and motorcyclist stupidity as factors, the most dangerous place on the road for a motorcyclist is an intersection. And the most dangerous thing that can happen at an intersection is for a motorcyclist to hit a car or truck. Note the way that sentence is phrased. The motorcycle hits the car or truck. In light of the concerns about cyclists proceeding through red lights and getting creamed by oncoming or crossing traffic, how can this be?

Well, according to a 2005 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF), more than half of all motorcycle cashes that year involved two or more vehicles, i.e. a motorcycle and another vehicle, most often a car or truck. Of all the motorcycle fatalities that year, 89% were the result of crashes involving more than two vehicles. In 75% of the deaths resulting from crashes involving a motorcycle and another vehicle, the motorcycle hit the other vehicle. Why? Because the other vehicle never saw the motorcycle and turned in front of it.

See, the overwhelming problem isn't motorcyclists turning in front of cars, it's cars turning in front of motorcyclists. As a motorcyclist, I am hyper-sensitive to the reality that motorists, by and large, aren't looking for me. They're distracted by the radio, or their cell phone, or the person next to them, or the kids in the back seat. I have had drivers turn left in front of me when I'm less than 100 feet from them. I've had motorists pull out from driveways and side streets right in front of me, causing me to swerve into another lane to avoid them. So far I've been lucky, which on many days has been better than being good.

Look, I understand the concern that impatient motorcyclists will pull in front of cars. But it doesn't happen often now and by and large I don't see it happening as a result of this new law. If a sober, responsible motorcyclist has waited through a light cycle that hasn't given him or her a green and is preparing to follow the law and turn or pull out on red, that motorcyclist is likely on high alert for any traffic in his or her path.

In the overwhelming majority of fatal accidents involving motorcycles, cars or trucks turn in front of motorcycles. That's just a fact. So as a car driver, I'm  not too worried about a motorcycle pulling in front of me because its rider is tired of waiting for a green light. But I am constantly on the lookout for motorcyclists.

I hope you will be, too. As spring approaches, we'll be out there on our bikes. And we'll be depending on you to see us.