While I understand your point, I’m going to have to disagree. I hear it a lot from withing the cycling community. Statements such as “Until we follow the laws we have no right to complain.”

My issue with that statement is that it seems to have, built into it as a presupposition, that the motorists that cyclists are being compared to in this argument predominately follow the rules of the road as well.

While it definitely doesn’t bother me to hear cyclists make this argument in and of itself, it does bother me how many times this argument gets turned around against cyclists as an excuse by drivers to assume any car-bike accident is the cyclists fault. Far too many immediately think “Well, they all run stop signs. I’m sure this guy did and that’s why the truck ran him over. Not the truck’s fault”

When they hear fellow cyclists saying the same thing, it just justifies their position.

We (cyclists, as a group) should not have to wait until each and every cyclists follows each and every law each and every time before being given equal consideration. At least, that is my perhaps idealistic opinion.