Yup, I'll second the notion that little things can make a big difference.

I have two big mirrors mounted right at the end of my handlebars. You might wonder if two is absolutely necessary? Maybe not, but there are places where the one on the right gives you a bit more view than just the one on the left. Yes, it gives my handlebars a horribly wide profile and those who think freds are nerds probably think that I'm the king of nerds. I don't care; being able to see just what those motorists are up to as they approach me is immensely valuable.

I dress in bright colors -plenty of red seems to work well- and wear a reflective vest. I'm even considering using the strobes front and rear in the daytime. Motorists really do show respect for this sort of stuff. On average, that is. There's a few jerks who just don't care. But they really are only a few.

I also have surrendered my right to use main arteries as much as possible. I'll admit that I resent the necessity, but this is my life we're talking about. Until the roads become more civil I'm just gonna have to eat it. When available, I turn off onto 25 mph residential roads. I'll also get off the main highway and go through strip mall parking lots. At one point on my commute I turn off a go a fairly long way out of my way to avoid a frantic and dangerous intersection. Though it bothers me that I have to do this, the ride is so much less nerve-wracking.

There are still a few bottlenecks; places where there's no alternative and I must ride the main road for a few stretches. In those places I go through as seriously as I can, trying to show by my body language that I'm moving and trying not to hold up the cars. Sometimes there'll still be a pack of cars passing me, one after the other, just too close. At those times I get off the road and stop and wait for a break in traffic that I can jump into and get on through. It doesn't really take all that long.

And it doesn't make my commute so much more difficult physically or length-wise. The principle of having to abandon the road for these selfish creeps does bother me. But if I forced my way back in, then I'd be putting myself at too much risk of death or maiming. As it is, my commute is more relaxed. Under the circumstances, that'll have to do.

Don't look like a guy who's out there on a borrowed, 30 yr old ten speed because he has no choice and is hating every minute of it. Such a situation gives a window on humanity's dark side; the motorists treat such people as if they deserve to be run over.

Instead, look like a guy who chooses to be there, knows what he's doing and dresses for the situation. A large 'most' of the cars treat such people with a bit of respect anyway.