For me, I find that cycling defensively and smartly allows me to be pretty safe most of the time. I think having a positive attitude and not expecting confrontations also works. If you go out looking for a driver to yell at, you're probably going to find them.
I look forward to the day when I don't get the 1-2 dangerous passes when I'm out riding. I'm not that optimistic about it, but I'll keep hope alive. I just have to shake my head, "Huh, everyone else except YOU passed me safely in the last two hours...why did you have to pass me on that blind curve?"
During my ride on Saturday I didn't see a car for the first hour. It was heaven. Then I nearly got run over - in a school zone...and the driver was in a Corvette with personalized plates. Go figger!
I've lived in suburbia, small cities, medium cities, and big cities. I actually find that in the bigger cities there are a lot of unsafe and dangerous cyclists. People with music in both ears who can't steer in a straight line. "Edgy" urban folk who think signs and lights are, like, so lame. Cars expect to see cyclists, I think, in bigger cities, but that doesn't mean they are riding safely and doing the most to insure they to are sharing the road.
