There is a way to fix this that works: if an officer doesn't challenge a driver who causes injury or reckless endangerment, take the officer to court. As you say, they are there to enforce the law, not make it up. And now that contributory negligence laws are being reworked to help people on bikes and pedestrians get a more fair shake at compensation it's likely a tactic that will work.
Yes, it'll take time and money - though there are lawyers out there who work for people on bikes, scooters, and foot and would likely be happy to help be a trailblazer.
That’s good news.
I had a very bad experience with a police officer while riding a bike, and a very bad experience with a local judge during a trial for a man who drove his large truck around our group of riders and stopped directly in front of us, causing us to crash. (It was a deliberate move, as he got out of his truck and proceeded to yell and scream that we didn’t belong on the road).
In the first experience with the police officer, I was riding on the shoulder of a rural road with my husband. He was in front, I was behind. I passed him by crossing over that white line that divides the shoulder and the car lane. I had looked behind me before passing and saw his car, way back. Cop pulled us over. Said that crossing the line between the shoulder and lane was not allowed. I said “No, you‘re wrong.” He got pissy and threatened a ticket. Then he told us to ride off.
We rode off, my husband in front again. I passed him as before. Cop was still stopped on the shoulder at that point.Cop pulls up and gets on his intercom speaker and says, “Now you’re really pissing me off, missy!”
MISSY???? Really?? I later found out that particular officer had a bad reputation for harassing cyclists. He was a state police officer with many years on patrol.
Second experience: The judge said this truck driver didn’t actually stop in the road because his truck had antilock brakes and there were skid marks and “vehicles with antilock brakes don’t leave skid marks.” WHAT?? Never mind the many skid marks left by…our bicycle tires as we desperately tried to stop in time. Then he proceeded to rant about cyclists who don’t stop at stop signs, etc. That was NOT what we did. And…we were riding on a road with highly visible “State bicycle route” signs in an area populated by many road cyclists.
Judge then admonished the police officer who had charged the driver with reckless endangerment.
So what is that police officer going to do the next time he gets in a similar situation?
The takeaway I got from both situations? Cars Rule the Road.
Despite the fact that, our state law proclaims bicycles are Vehicles that are allowed on roads, the laws protect drivers of motorized vehicles, not operators of unmotorized vehicles.