Originally Posted by genec
I like your rules, but in reality it is that both your number 1 and number 2 still put you in a vulnerable position... having to verify what motorists are going to do.
What makes it doable is that at any given moment, the number of drivers that are relevant to your safety (the ones you need to verify) and for the immediate future (0-5 seconds, say), are usually very limited. Plus, by planning ahead, you can limit/influence what that number will be in the near future based on what you do right now.
What really is the individual cyclist doing differently between your "trust but verify" and "trust no one." (forgetting that trust no one even includes those behind you... )
Well the relevant "doing" here is paying attention. What Mr. TrustNoOne is doing is trying to watch EVERYONE (because he can't trust anyone). What TrustButVerify is doing is looking for a possible exception among the few that I even have to worry about.
I often ride in what I call "ghost mode..." where I assume anyone in front of me (primarily motorists at intersections) cannot or do not see me. (hence consistent with "verify..." less the "trust" part).
So how does "trust" work?
Well, the obvious example is when you need to merge left, signal, and someone slows down to let you in. You trust them and go.