I absolutely agree with the police chief's assessment that bicyclists are responsible for a majority of accidents they are involved in! Traffic is bad enough in SoCal as it is, and currently bicyclists--many of whom totally disobey traffic laws with virtual impunity (have you ever in your life seen a bicyclist issued a citation?) add an extremely dangerous component with their capricious and unpredictable zig-zagging in and out of traffic, suddenly going up on sidewalks and just as suddenly cutting back into traffic lanes, suddenly emerging at speed from any direction from blind corners, and the like. Dedicated bikeways are needed along with licensing requirements and driver's ed for bicyclists, and officers should not be hesitant about issuing citations to any and all who illegally create driving dangers regardless of their means of transportation!

A sample size of 17 is not really enough to draw any sweeping conclusions. I don't doubt that there are many traffic collisions with a cyclist at fault, but there are also many collisions which go unreported as well. Many cyclists struck by drivers opening car doors do not report the incident unless there are major injuries. We do need better bicycling education, absolutely, and advocates for bicycling have been harping about this to city for quite some time now, and while money has been allocated for the purpose, little in the way of action has actually happened. Classes for all ages should be available in safe riding practices, and schools should be required to provide instruction of bicycling and traffic safety.

Another issue however which puts cyclists at a disadvantage in fair treatment with our legal system is that many officers which report on traffic collisions between cyclists and drivers do so from the perspective of a driver with no or limited experience as a road cyclist them-self. When ever feasible, officers with experience as bike patrol should be dispatched to the scene of collisions involving bicyclists, since they will be better able to see circumstances from both perspectives.

The SMPD provided data of traffic collisions for bicycle activists to look over and analyze, and the data provided did not include information on party found to be at fault. That data can be looked at here: http://users.design.ucla.edu/%7Empeteu/testbed/incidents/

Bicyclists at night - what a nightmare for automobile drivers! 9 out of 10 times they have dark colors on, NO headlight, a very SMALL red tail-light (if any at all) and ride side by side if there are more than one of them!!!!!!!!!!!! On Cloverfield Blvd. which is a very busy street I have seen them in the left hand turn lane with cars coming in all directions. This may be perfectly legal but if I was riding, for my own safety, I would cross at a corner and then cross at the other corner with traffic. Be Courteous To Bicyclists - why don't they have to follow rules like those of us that drive cars have to follow. I see them crossing streets on red lights, not stopping for stop signs, riding with no hands while texting on their phones, etc. etc.

@Joanne
Bicyclists do have to follow the rules like anyone else, and do receive tickets. I have seen cyclists ticketed my self, and am aware of past stings. Cyclists without lights, or even lights considered too dim have been pulled over, asked to sit on the ground, had their bags searched and ticketed. I have been ticketed myself once, but in my case I was not violating any law, only violating the officers idea of the law, and easily had the ticket thrown out in court.

As for cyclists riding more than one abreast, there is no law against it, just as there is no law against motorcyclists doing so, but if it resulting in traffic backing up they are obligated to allow passing, and if they are moving slower than other traffic they are obligated to be on the right lane.

One of the things I tire of with these finger pointing debates is that there are problems exhibited by all road users, so for drivers to put them self on a pedestal and say cyclists shouldn't have a right to the road because they break the rules ignores the fact that drivers break rules convenient to them with consistent regularity. For example the speed limit on Broadway, a popular bike route through Santa Monica with a bike lane, is 25 mph. Find me a driver (besides my wife) who actually stays under 25 mph except when traffic congestion hasn't rendered it much slower than that, and I'll buy you a free lunch. People drive while texting and chatting on cell phones and fiddling with gadgets as well, etc. etc.

And preemptively before I hear someone defend speeding, even just a little, survival rates of pedestrians and cyclists struck by vehicles drop significantly for every 5 mph increase of speed of the striking vehicle, not to mention speeding increases likelihood of collision by reducing reaction time for the driver and increasing braking distance.

We definitely need to provide cyclists of all ages with better education on the rules of the road and how to cycle safely, as Sustainable Streets (sustainablestreetsla.org) and League Cycling Instructors have been doing in a range of programs for adults, parents, teachers, city staff and school age children. We desperately need more funding for such programs in Santa Monica. Every cyclist in Santa Monica means one less car on the road, with less pollution, noise and danger for everyone else in getting around. Our young people are setting the example with 1/3 biking, walking or taking the bus for each Bike IT Walk IT Day. Try cycling instead of driving next time, and take a Confident City Cycling class to help you get around safely.