Quote Originally Posted by BodhiTree View Post
When traffic is crazy, I walk on the sidewalk. At busy intersections I get off and cross in the crosswalk.
It is always an option to get off the bike and become a pedestrian. If you are in a traffic situation that is more than you are comfortable with, that is probably a good option.

However, pedestrians have higher fatality rate per hour than either bicyclists or motorists. Pedestrians get hit as much in the crosswalk as out of it.
Quote Originally Posted by BodhiTree View Post
Pretending you are a tank puts a lot of faith in drivers to see you and treat you like a tank.

In all honesty, if a driver hit me while I was riding in a tank, they'd total their car. If they hit me while I was on a bike, they'd barely notice. It is up to me to be the adult in the situation, gauge the risk, and proceed accordingly.

Don't trust them an inch.
If I had this attitude I'd never bicycle or walk. I wouldn't even ride in a mere car, I'd have to have an SUV for the "protection" of its glass & steel cage. Better yet I'd never leave my house.

The risk of dying in a car is about the same or a little higher than on a bicycle, per hour traveled. Learning the actual relative risks helps us put our perceived risk into perspective. It also gives us control to manage our risks. I ride an arm's length or more from the edge of the road, I take the lane if it is too narrow to share comfortably, I obey traffic rules & regulations, I use appropriate lane positioning at intersections, I stay off sidewalks, and I wear a helmet. These practices decrease my risk of a crash by over 90%.

In a car, I only drive sober, I don't drive & text or drive & talk on a cell phone, and I wear a seat belt. I don't know the statistics on all of those but I know driving sober decreases my risk of dying in the car by 30%.

I don't trust motor vehicles to watch out for me or to see me, I watch out for myself and assume that a vehicle about to turn might not see me.

Sorry if this is a rant, and I probably read a lot more into this than you intended, it just sort of triggered something for me. Rant over!