Personally this whole thread just pisses me right off, especially the OP.

When I last posted above, I had only just started commuting a few months prior. Now I've been commuting to work by bike nearly 2 years. Believe me when I say LANE CONTROL WORKS!!! And I don't just ride in the right tire track anymore. I ride squarely in the center of the lane or towards the left tire track if it's a narrow lane. That puts me directly front and center of a motorist's "cone of vision", which gives me the BEST chance of being seen. Lights, high-vis, reflective stuff, all that helps. But lane position trumps all when it comes to being seen, and being seen early enough to give the motorist time to react to me being there.

I do not get close passes. Motorists change lanes to pass 99.94% of the time, on all laned roadways. Some of them aren't happy about it, but oh well. They still saw me, and they still changed lanes to pass me. Roads are first-come, first-served, and I happen to be there first. There is no guarantee of a minimum speed limit on any roadway, period.

Oh and this notion of cyclists must not be paying attention from Vital_Signs, and hotbike's notion of motorists being "out to get cyclists" or that their aim is to get on cyclists' nerves, is all complete and utter BS. Other than the .01% of motorists who are just psychotic, everyone just wants to get where they need to go. People aren't "out to get us". All too often, motorists don't even notice the cyclists who are hugging the curb or road edge, or riding on the sidewalk, and that's how many cyclists end up dead.

The best thing you can do is learn crash avoidance techniques, such as those taught by CyclingSavvy and the American Bicycle Education Association. FAQ: Why do you ride like that? | CyclingSavvy