I've only been cycling for 8 months so I am not really qualified to give anyone advice on how to stay safe on the roadways while riding a bike. I do own and operate a Texas Driver's Ed school so I am qualified to give advice on how to stay safe while driving on our roadways. There is a multitude of strategies for an individual to stay safe on the roadways rangeing from keeping an adequate space cushion around your vehicle to vehicle inspections. If I had to package the whole idea of operating a vehicle safely on our roadways I would say it is operator attitude.
When I am cycling; at the start of a ride; my attitude is to be safe, obey traffic laws and so forth. After a few miles into the ride, endorphins kick in, and my attitude changes... I no longer am an operator of a bicycle on the roadways, but an athlete, feeling good and wanting to push my body to the limit. I think; as cyclists, it is important to realize or remember the release of endorphins by the brain into our central nervous system is a natural occurence during exercise. Endorphins are the reason we love to exercise, they give us that "good" feeling during and after exercise. Endorphins can also make some people feel 10 feet tall and bullet proof. I can't speak for other cyclists, but this situation of hightened endorphins released into my system is where I sense a higher "risktakeing" approach to my rideing. I counter this danger with greater awareness of what is going on physiologically inside my body. I remind myself that I must operate my vehicle (bicycle) according to the "6 conditions" This is a Drivers Ed teaching strategy but I tweaked it a little bit to fit my cycling prowess. Basically for a cyclist its about pushing it to the limit; whatever your limit is... Under the "6 Conditions" rule, you should never push it to the limit whenever any of the following 6 conditions is less than ideal. The 6 conditions are:
1. Condition of the roadway
2. Condition of the traffic
3. Condition of the light
4. Condition of the weather
5. Condition of the vehicle
6. Condition of the operator
It is when any operator of any vehicle pushes it to the limit when any one of these six conditions is less than ideal that he puts himself or others in danger. And, don't forget to include the endorphin factor into the equation when considering cyclists...