I think it has become very dangerous cycling in 2009 than ever. With all of the portable electronic devices that can fit in your pocket, drivers can easily be distracted. I saw a woman who was text messaging on her phone while driving her car. I was going 55mph and she was next to me swerving all over the road. She almost hit me. I think cycling could be broken down to common sense. Common sense tells me that if I get on my bicycle, ride down a road that has a 55mph speed limit; I have a chance to be run over. What really makes me mad is the cyclist who rides in the winding mountain roads with a soft shoulder and only one lane in each direction. I have lost count of how many times that I have been driving my car through the winding mountain roads while going the speed limit and almost hit a cyclist. Common sense tells me that if I am riding on a country road with only one lane and a soft shoulder, I might get ran over. No matter how anybody looks at cycling, most roads where only designed for automobile traffic, not bicycle and automobile traffic. Bike lanes have only been a recent luxury most states have adopted. The only reason most states make bike lanes is for the federal money they receive. If each state did not receive any money from the feds, there would be no bike lanes.