PSA to Bicycle Couriers: Bike Like A Car to Be Treated Like A Car

I have seen DoorDash/Uber/Etc. bikers get into, and admittedly been in, too many close calls with cars, pedestrians, and other cyclists to ignore this issue:

Play stupid games on the open road, win stupid prizes (death, dismemberment, stress, etc.). You're worth more to your loved ones to take unnecessary risks which place yourself and other road users in danger. Please be patient and follow your local traffic code.

• Don't ride too close to the curb or alongside vehicle blindspots. Take up the full width of the lane if there are multiple lanes.
• Don't cut off right turning cars on the right hand side. As obvious as that sounds, many dimwits don't get this.
• Parked/Idling vans, tractor trailers, and busses are essentially "walls" if you think about it. Feather your brakes and ding your bell before passing them.
• Hook your thumbs around your handlebars so your hands don't slip in the event of a likely emergency.
• Riding full speed through intersections (even if you're benefiting from a downhill) is a death wish.
• If you're stuck behind turning cars, don't assume cars in the other lane will yield to you when you switch lanes to pass.
• Learn to do shoulder checks until it becomes a force of habit. Practice your signals and use them regularly.
• Turning your head is a great gesture to alert cars that you're thinking about merging/turning. Make eye contact with drivers: if they aren't staring at you, they don't know you're there. Most people have very limited peripheral vision.
• If there are parked/idling cars in your lane, slowly ride towards the left of the lane, and if necessary, merge into the other lane - leave adequate room to avoid getting doored.
• Don't swerve in and out of a lane between parked cars. HOLD YOUR LINE when going through an intersection upon a greenlight, as in don't swerve towards the pedestrian crosswalk and back into the lane.
• Biking on the sidewalk, pedestrian crosswalk, and in the opposite direction through a one way street is highly dangerous.
• As infuriating as it may be, YIELD for pedestrians even if they're​ jaywalking or crossing an intersection before the light changes.
• Making an illegal U-turn crossing through the yellow line can be disastrous
• Don't assume lights will change when the perpendicular set of lights go red. Advance turn lights are common.
• Take extra precautions crossing rail tracks and cut through them perpendicularly.
• Buy the most expensive equipment you can afford (lightly used bikes are often good value buys), and get it tuned up by a qualified mechanic at a shop (not someone's car garage). Perferably one that fits your body size, comes with disc brakes, sturdy wheels, and wide grippy tires. High powered flashing lights are mandatory and required by law if you're doing late night deliveries. Helmet and hydration are a given.

Since we're all road users and we face shitty drivers/bikers everyday, please comment with your suggestions on tips which would allow for safer sharing of the roads. Cyclists are especially venerable since we aren't sounded by a 4000 lb metal box engineered to absorb impacts. Stay and considerate out there!