I used to ride a bike as my only mode of transport around greater boston and am still alive. I only got knocked off the one time my front brake was not working (I was going to the bike shop for parts) and I rear-ended a police car. I managed to get my feet out the the toe-clips, land on my feet and stay upright.
The cops did not notice. My comments are based on boston behavior of driver and bikers.
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Stay as close the right side of the road as possible
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I disagree, because then people will drive right next to you at your speed instead of passing by. I prefer to assert my right to exist. It discourages bullies. Also, people coming out of driveways between rows of parked cars have no hope in seeing me. I cannot expect them to not pull out in front of me if I have made myself invisible. Even worse are people OPENING car doors.
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Don't ride past cars on the shoulder at a light, stop behind the car ahead of you to avoid causing them to have to pass you again.
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That puts me between two cars and I can get crushed. I always pullup to the front.
Again, you have a right to be on the road.
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Make sure to use proper hand signals when turning and stopping
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I don't take my hands off the controls. I need both brakes to stop quickly. I am not going to have time to reach for them if the feces impinges on the impeller. Unless you meant giving drivers the finger to get them to back off their little aggression games, like trying to squish me against parked cars.
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Slow down for stop signs, if no cars continue moving through, if cars are present, stop and follow normal stop sign proceedures
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Stop unless no cars are around at all to see you run the stopsign (that gets their vigilante juices flowing), and you can see clearly enough to be sure of that. Otherwise slow down to check the coast is clear. Don't go thru stopsigns at 30 MPH.
And to add on to your list:
Carry a boating compressed gas horn on your handlebars. When you are on a bike path, the nitwit with the headphones who rollerblades from left to right to left across the whole width of the bike path at 4 miles per hour cannot hear you no matter how loudly you shout "ON YOUR LEFT" Keep back when you blow the horn, the rollerblader may flail about and fall down when reality intrudes.
If or when car drivers menace or try to hurt you using the car as a weapon, get their plate and call the police. That is felony assault. Bikers need to assert their right to ride, and send drivers a message not to mess with them.
If you have an inexpensive way to record video of your surroundings while you ride that is ideal. That way Atilla the soccer mom gets to visit the big house.
