Originally Posted by
Erwin8r
Still, When I am in a lane, on a 4 lane road, over to the right as far as safe/possible, a driver that brushes past me at more than a 20 mph difference, inches from the end of my bar, is gong to be thought of as an a**hole. And its playing games with my life... I will not be relegated to the sidewalk (sorry, it's not even legal here...) just because someone is in a hurry. I give cyclists wide berths because I never know when they may have to jerk or swerve--and I would not ever want to be responsible for tagging one.
If you're on a 4-lane road, it's almost ALWAYS best to be farther out in the right lane. That way people MUST change lanes to get around you. And since it's a 4-lane road there's always that left lane there for them to do so. If you hug the right side then people think they have enough room to edge past you in the lane, or by just barely crossing the lane lines, which almost always means they pass too close.
I know it may sound more dangerous, but it really is safer. High-vis clothing helps a bunch, also. I've ridden on plenty of 4 and 5-lane roads around here. When I used to hug the right side, I got people buzzing me and honking all the time. When I'm farther out into the lane, they always change lanes fully.