Quote Originally Posted by Tar-Cat
I like the idea of smiling and waving at drivers - I will definitely have to try that. But when someone does cut you off and you have to yell to avoid an accident, what do you say? I know it's silly, but I'd be the one there going "crap, what do I say?" and having the accident anyway...
I've practiced enough that yelling, "HEY!!" very deep and loud is second nature to me.

I recently recognized that I'm getting way too uptight about cars and drivers. I concentrated on being more flexible and congenial yesterday, and it made my ride much more pleasant.

(The worst was the time a car squeezed past me as his lane ended. I pulled up behind him and went into a really long tirade. His windows were up, I don't know if he heard me say "You are a Very Bad Man and should be ashamed! Are you trying to kill me? Would killing me make you happy? Isn't it great how much time you saved by trying to kill me? Oh, look, we're still both waiting at the same red light..." )

FYI, in Ohio the rule is that we should ride "as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable". I most frequently ride in the right wheel-rut of the lane, so that there is not quite enough room to pass me without actually thinking about it and passing partly in the other lane. Occasionally if the shoulder gives me enough room to maneuver in case of emergency, I'll ride closer to the white line.

We are also permitted to ride two abreast, except where posted in specific townships. Cops will hassle us for riding three abreast though, and they'll *really* give us a hard time where "Bicycles must ride single file" is posted.