Yes! I'll be riding home tonight myself, and I am constantly reminded how careful I need to be. On the other hand, I have also been run INTO by a cyclist - while I was in my car! Still have the scratches (on the car) to prove it.
Adam, how can we at SacPress be more proactive in encouraging civil cycling in our city? If we're lucky, Sacramento is going to become a major biking city - and competition for space on the roads is going to grow more intense.
I wonder how much the city is doing to look out for cyclists?
The same goes for pedestrians. I was almost run over by a woman in a white SUV a couple of weeks ago - I was in the crosswalk, had a green light and "white" walk man, and she was just in a hurry. Looked right at me before she cut me off. Couldn't care less.

I, and a few of my friends, have actually been hit by cars while walking. And I was on the sidewalk! Drivers definitely disappear into their comfortable worlds that exist in that car cab. Motorcycle riders call them "cagers." They feel comfortable in their cages and are almost oblivious to their surroundings.

I don't know exactly how we can help improve this, but we all do need to be careful out there.

Seriuosly! Drivers do not pay enough attention. One time i was riding my bike and this car came out of now where and hit me knocking me to the ground. the car stopped, not because i was hit but because the driver was trying to parallel park. That's when she backed up over me. then she pulled forward and ran me over again. she backed up once more and ran over my torso with the tire. when she parked i stood up, brushed myself off and walked over to her window. "Hey lady! You just like totally ran me over like four or five times!"
she hung up her cell phone, shrugged her shoulders and said "So." Then i died.

Bicycle advocacy groups exist; it isn't a bad idea to look into joining local groups like SABA or FABA that specifically lobby local governments to improve conditions for cyclists. Though midtown seems to have exploded with bicyclists in the last couple of years, it doesn't seem that drivers have adapted to the new traffic mix. Specialized traffic controls like dedicated bike lanes are going to help, but the biggest thing is just to be visible and assertive -- drivers that are aware of you are drivers that will only hit you intentionally.

Ring your bell, yell, or blow your horn often in traffic, especially so when overtaking a car or the driver's on the phone. Participate in group rides (Critical Mass is an example, leaving from Fremont Park the last Friday of each month at 6:00 PM) or at least with a buddy whenever you can. Make sure you and your bike are well lit and easily visible, day or night. Ride in the middle of a traffic lane whenever possible; you'll be directly in a driver's line of sight, and the California Vehicle Code says bicyclists are required to ride as close to the roadside edge as possible, except when a lane's not wide enough for a bicyclist and car to safely share it or it's unsafe for the bicyclist to do so. 15th, 16th, and J Streets are textbook cases for "taking a lane" -- an open door on a parked car is a definite safety hazard to avoid, and the left- and right-most lanes aren't wide enough for a car and bicycle to share. With all this said, try not to be a jerk when riding; drivers are probably going to resent or hate bicyclists no matter what, but you don't need to give them reason to do so.

Personally, I've also noticed that drivers seem to drive a lot closer to me when I'm wearing a helmet, so I've taken to riding lidless, though I'm not sure how that cost/benefit works out. I also try to ride just a hair unpredictably, to keep drivers on their guard but not frustrated enough to do something rash.

A very informative book called "Traffic" by Tom Vanderbilt-which was mostly about car traffic-discussed some biking issues. His working theory (which agrees with cognitive psychology research), is that people see what they expect to see. When there aren't many bikes or pedestrians on the road, drivers don't expect and aren't particularly conscious of them. So, the more bikes we get on the road, the better. I was struck by how courteous drivers in Portland are, to bikers and walkers, and I think that part of it is they're just used to sharing the road.

As both a bicyclist and pedistrian I have come within inches of being hit in crosswalks and driveways where cars cross the sidewalk in front of pedistrians or bicyclists. i witnessed a father with his toddler almost run over in a cross walk two days ago. I have walked daily to and from work for over 8 months and my observations are that people are in too big a hurry. The cell phone doesn't help, but is just a symptom they do not have the time to pull over and take a call. Many drivers still holding cell phone despite handsfree law.

Adam, I totally understand. I too was that oblivious driver, until I started riding everywhere, now I find the streets much more dangerous than before. I have been almost hit a couple of times now. Thank goodness for my helmet, otherwise I wouldn't feel that safe.

I have been commuting to work on a bike for 20 or so years, and have had relatively few close calls, though, you are right, there are plenty of clueless and distracted people out there. I currently ride from East Sacramento to Natomas, a ride that runs the gamut of challenging traffic situations. A few things that I have found that are helpful for avoiding problems:

1. Choose a route carefully. If you have regular destinations, find the safest way to get there. This may not be the fastest or shortest route, but taking an unsafe or unpleasant route to save five minutes makes no sense. Find streets with dedicated bike lanes, signals that are timed rather than triggered by cars, and residential streets. Talk to people, check SABA and other maps to calculate the best routes.

2. Make sure you can see that a driver sees you before you commit to a turn, entering an intersection, etc. This is not always easy with the amount of glare on windshields, and tinted glass, but unless you know that a person sees you, do not ride forward.

3. Get a rear-view mirror. There are several styles of rear-view mirrors available out there. I have them on all of my bikes, and they are a godsend. Trust me: once you get one and are used to using it, you will never -- ahem -- look back.

4. Avoid getting "doored". I have been doored (hit by a door flying open from a parked car) only once, and that was enough. When you are riding down a street with parking on the side, ride far enough away from the cars so that you won't get hit if a door flies open. This may mean you will be partially in the car lane, but if you have a mirror, you can keep an eye out an veer out of the way when a car comes. If there is so much traffic that you can't do this, it's a good sign that the street is not good for biking on regularly.

5. No headphones. I break this one all the time, but really, why shut down one of your senses if you don't need to? If you just can't ride with out audio input, I recommend listening to podcasts or audio books, which block out less sound than music.

6. Don't be a jerk. I am also occasionally a driver, so I realize it is not always possible to see all and be perfect. Try to realize that most people are not jerks, and that if they blow it, cut them some slack.

There's a quick list of things you can do to avoid problems. I'd love to hear some others.

Very imformative This is why I love Sac Press!