My point is the faster you go, the more carefully you need to ride because the harder you go down if you go down.

As to keeping up with traffic actually ticking off some drivers, that is usually only the case if you filter up, if you don't filter up at the reds and stops and instead hold your position in the traffic cue it won't make as many drivers mad and actually make a lot of them respect you more when they see that you can keep up with them and hold your own.

If you filter up and as a result you are either making better time then they are and getting further and further ahead of them at every light or worse yet they have to pass you over and over again (yes in the mental state of 99% of all car drivers when it comes to a bicycle in the road ahead of them they do have to pass even if it is in the middle of a block between stop lights and they know your just going to filter up again), now that is what gets them ticked off. They will blame you for constantly getting in their way and it just about makes them go critical mass nuclear with a lot of dirty fallout.

Long story short, if your moving fast enough to keep up with traffic, don't wipe out, and hold your position in the cue at the reds and stops rather then filter up because doing so can make some drivers go nuclear on you when they end up passing you multiple times and more then minus out any safety gains you may have made by keeping up with traffic better with more speed. Now if you can make good enough time to outrun them altogether, then it is worth considering filtering up but use some discretion on that as well.