Man, some of the stories here are making ME want to quit cycommuting while I'm ahead!

I've only been commuting about five years. I am on Long Island, a NY City suburb, and my ~3-mile commute comprises a quiet "country" road, a busier 2X2 30mph road that leads to a high school, and a crossing at a very busy turnpike. In all that time, I have never had any type of run-in or near miss with a motorist, and just about every driver out here has at least two eyes on a smartphone and no eyes on the road at any given time.

I'm going to say this at the risk of insulting many cyclists (again), but my observation is that the cyclists who seem to be magnets for trouble are the ones who dress in flashy bike clothing and run all the stop signs and red lights. Drivers foam at the mouth when given the opportunity to screw with this kind of cyclist, if only because they are jealous.

I'm like a granny on my bike, usually dressed in khaki shorts, a black t-shirt, and white sneakers, making sure to follow all the traffic signals and signs, and communicating with smiles to all the cars I pull up beside. You'd think a 54-year-old dude riding a bike this way would have a target on his back, but I have never been harassed by the high schoolers driving or taking the bus to school and I have never had anyone shout something out their window, throw anything at me, or try to drive me off the road.

I'll ask again, SexyBiker, where y'all from????