[diverdan]

There is no room for Road Rage or assault - ZERO tolerance! We all have to share the road with farm machines, mobile homes in transit, slow moving behemoth trucks, deer, raccoons, solo cyclists, and groups (moto or otherwise.) I've driven with groups on runs through Mulholland and Latigo where excellent discipline was followed by the drivers and the same for the moto bike groups. We often saw lone wolves who didn't exhibit much sensibility. In northern Michigan one of my favorite roads (Tunnel of Trees) has become bicycle infested on weekends so one has to be more judicious. The highway that I live on has some awesome twisties and is a favorite with the motorcyclists who coexist well with the cars and farm machines, but it is dicey for cyclists, but usually traffic is light. Not a place for side by side riding. Side by side seems to be the real concern when the speed of the pack is significantly lower than motorized traffic when the cyclists occupy traffic lanes. It is dangerous and instigates road rage. I cycle and ride sport bikes both solo and with groups. On the sports bike I usually hang back so I can play when its safe and refuse to do the side by side ride. On the bicycle, I will not pass when that action may interfere with a passing motorist's projected path for everyone's safety. In the Arabian Gulf I do the cycling early on the weekend mornings and that is the only time that I feel safe as there is virtually no traffic on the outlying streets. We are concerned about our lives!
In the Michigan young drivers are faced with $200 a month for basic liability insurance and many are just forgetting about owning a car. Welcome to increased bicycling as a necessity.

Diverdan