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I split lanes during the year I lived in SoCal, but I didn't commute 30 miles in & out of LA every day, either. I thought those guys were pushing the odds a bit.
I found that lane splitting is pretty safe if you keep one principle in mind: go *between* adjacent cars, never pass a car that has an open spot in the lane next to it. Cars are only going to get so close to each other in adjacent lanes, leaving you room in between. But it's splitting past a car which decides to jump into the space in the adjacent lane... that's what gets you nailed.
Other than that, I agree: lane splitting feels safer than facing oncoming traffic which is eventually going to turn left across your path.
I followed another biker once, splitting lanes (no one I knew). He constantly violated my little rule above -- and almost got hit three or four times in the short period I was tailing him. It was kind of sad, really: he'd dodge the car, slow down alongside it, shake his fist furiously, and then blast off down the road. And then almost get hit again when he made the same mistake.
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