When I ride I try to remind myself that there are no fender benders for bikers. In town I’d bet that the type incident you had is one of the most frequent, along with someone changing lanes and squeezing you over. The worst is someone nailing you from behind – remember your brakes and reaction time is probably better than theirs is. It’s always good to be moving a little faster than the traffic. I think a lot of people have a subconscious dislike for someone on a bike, and pay less attention.
It’s nuts, but in congested areas; bikes will split lanes and move between the traffic – sometimes at terrific speed on the CA freeways. It’s something to be very careful with, but if your not riding a bike to move through the traffic, what’s the point in the city. In the country, I’m always watching for that guy passing somebody and coming right at me. Head-ons seem to be a plague around here.
In Arizona – heard on the news that unhelmited bikers were the largest group of organ donors. Even wear a jacket in the summer – I just picked up a great deal lightweight mesh jacket for $70 at
http://www.newenough.com/product_group_closeout_mesh.htm