All of these accidents are really scary. And your near-accident, SnappyPix, chilled me out. The same thing happened to me (with a minivan, though, and I screamed to the top of my lungs to make the driver stop, which she did - I may have caused her a heart attack).

This may sound a bit strange, but in these cases I am an advocate of taking the lane. Period. There is an intersection where this happens very often around here: cyclists are going downhill and gaining speed, drivers come from behind, accelerate a little bit to pass them and make a right turn right in front of them. The drivers totally SEE the cyclists most of the time, but they totally underestimate their speed and/or overestimate their capacity to slow/stop, or just don't think and are plain idiots on the phone. So anyway, going through this intersection, I take the lane for myself whenever possible. I am riding down faster than the speed limit anyway so I don't feel bad about slowing down traffic. I'm so much into the lane that a driver just could not imagine he has the space to pass me. Or, in the worst case scenario, he'll pass me on the right to turn right at the insection. But I'll stay in one piece.

Also, if I feel stable enough, I extend my hand in a stop signal to drivers that I think may be about to make a wrong guess about my speed or trajectory (ex: cars coming in the opposite direction that may be turning left on me as I go straight through the intersection). I make sure I smile and wave or send a thumb up or thank you sign to them as I pass them to show that my gesture was friendly. (I also use that motion when I need to get into the lane and also make sure I thank the drivers afterwards... Positive reinforcement!) So there is no ambiguity about my intentions, and even the most agressive driver will have a second thought, just enough time for me to go through the intersection.

The right-turn without yielding to going-straing cyclist is THE most common cause of bike-car accidents. Being visible (wearing bright colors, avoiding to ride on the extreme right of the road where the drivers are not looking, etc.) is certainly a great way to avoid them. Being assertive about taking our spot in the traffic is another. The it's a delicate balance, hard to strike... and sometimes it ends badly.