Originally Posted by
italianstallion
...I also don't pass every car at the light: I take my place in line, albeit next to a car rather than behind it. This avoids pissing everyone off that I'm passing them on the right, and also limits the risk of getting right hooked.
Right hooks are easily avoided. Get a mirror, use it, pay attention.
Getting squished between two cars at a red light while you sit stationary like a sitting duck is impossible to prevent, other than NOT BEING THERE in the first place.
And don't worry about pissing everyone off at the light. They are looking at their phones, not at you. And likely they don't care anyway so long as you don't filter to the front and THEN take the lane. I generally filter to the front, then wait for all of the cars to go past me when the light turns green, then file in after the last car passes. Or just run the red when possible and disappear over the horizon before the light goes green. I will sometimes line up behind the very last car at a stoplight if there are no more cars coming up behind me and the light is about to go green.