Originally Posted by caloso
I took the lane in a spot where I used to get right hooked all the time. A woman in a black Honda Accord honked at me (which means she saw me), so I turned around and gave her the Look with my hand back. In the next block there's a nice wide spot and no street parking so I pulled over towards the curb and waved her through.
It's amazing how easy it is to get around in traffic when you use appropriate hand signals. There's one spot where I bike over a narrow overpass, and I take the lane. Then, I have to get in the left turn lane, so I stick out my left hand and point left, then I open my hand and put my palm out to the cars behind me. When cars know what motions I'm going to make, they're so courteous!
Also, my new LEDs came in the mail today from
LED Shoppe. I ordered two of the ones in the link; they were shipped (FREE!) from China! They're plenty bright for my morning commutes, and there's some cool flashing patterns too. Plus, since they're only $5 each, I can order more if I lose or break one.