Mike -

Car drivers are in the wrong wrt motorcyclists about 90% of the time. I wish they would follow the traffic code and drive responsibly, but don't think that's going to happen any time soon.

There's a good board for beggining riders over at http://www.beginnerbikes.com, may be worth a look. They love to analyze situations like yours to see what could have been done differently to increase your safety.

My suggestion - Never "slingshot" into an intersection on a motorcycle. If the light turns green as you are approaching, continue slowing until traffic in other lanes has moved out into the intersection. At that point you can be reasonably sure there will be no red light runners. The Cavalier Idiot pulled up to his red, saw that traffic hadn't started moving yet (despite the green), and figured he could zip out in front before the stopped cars got moving. He didn't count on you zipping into the intersection, not having stopped. His fault for sure, but it's a standard driving tactic here in Dallas.

Good save on your part. Are you practicing your emergency braking? Being able to hold the front tire at the point of lockup is probably the most important safety skill on a motorcycle.

Ride Safe,

- JimY