[crispyambulance]

  > ...overwhelmingly most common one I see is cyclists not stopping at STOP signs

It's common, yes, but it's not even close to the primary cause of any of the accidents in the article.

For whatever reasons, many folks have a serious problem with cyclists pragmatically taking certain liberties that they, as motorists, don't have. You would be correct in situations where cyclists blindly zip through intersections without awareness, but that's almost never the case. What actually happens is that cyclists assess the intersection from a point of view that's far better than a motorist who is lower and can't hear or see as well as a cyclist because of their position/enclosure. Cyclists choose to take the risk to proceed because it takes physical exertion to come to a full stop and then start-up again. That's very taxing on a commute.

  > ... Again: it is ILLEGAL for cyclists to run stop signs

Sure it is, if you're one of those "letter of the law" people (and your usage of CAPS suggests that you are). In practice, it's allowed with a common sense judgement call. I've done it more times that I can remember in front of police. I have heard of police enforcing this occasionally to "send a message" but it's never sustained.

It's also "ILLEGAL" to run red lights on a bike, but that is done anyways for pragmatic reasons. If you're a cyclist, the most dangerous time is when traffic starts moving again. Motor vehicles can be going at speed just as you're getting clipped in and starting to move. In certain cases, it's just better to get yourself through the intersection and to the other side before the cars start moving. That way, you can position yourself and be visible to them. There's fewer surprises that way for everyone.