Does Road Riding Ever Get Less Stressful?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

1) Screaming yellow fluorescent vest or top. Blinky lights if you want, too.

2) rear-vision mirror. I like helmet mirrors myself.

3) read this: http://bicyclesafe.com/

4) don't hug the shoulder so much that you would have nowhere to escape to if a car crowded you or turned right in front of you. Give yourself a safety margin of 1-2 feet on both sides, not just one side. Don't be afraid to act like a car and take the lane at an intersection. Never try to turn left from the right road shoulder.

Riding in traffic used to freak me out. Now several years later it doesn't bother me much at all. I think as you get better with your riding skills and begin to be able to predict what clueless drivers 'might' do, you start to feel a little less powerless and scared.