[long response for novice.. few hints and observations..
just scroll on bye if experienced
for anyone with half a brain and riding first motorcycle for 8 months
it becomes obvious that many drivers are moving hazards,
and that due to distraction [texting etc] sharing the road with them
is potentially dangerous..
having reached that realisation tho, you have passed one safety hurdle
that many often never breach,, such as those you mention filtering
or lane splitting at high speeds.. give yourself credit here..
just as for riding in the rain or in poor visibility etc, you must observe
and be aware of your relative position within your road space
given that others will stop, change direction, jump into gaps, etc
thus you must ride as if they are all,, incompetent, distracted,
drunk, drugged out, texting, checking emails, eating/drinking/
masturbating or applying makeup,, all examples of driver
behaviours and distractions from the road, and us..
filtering [stopped cars or very slow] is actually quite safe generally,
given that they are trapped in their boxes within car spaces thus
generally unable to get at us anyway..
i have always filtered, which is now legal in my state NSW [aust]
and which i consider a safe relatively safe method of handling traffic
for motorcyclists confident of their ability to ride slowly and accurately
and be aware of the few potential dangers involved..
with experience you do as in other movements thru spaces
learn to accurately estimate what gaps you can pass thru..
then when its a tight space, you can slow right down then
move one mirror past their mirror, then the other mirror,
and continue.. watching ahead at all times [in a relaxed but
alert state of mind] you will become tuned to their behaviours
as a herd, including those sheep which will try to break out
of the pack into open spaces etc..
this is one potential danger worth recognising; the free space ahead,
which could be one car space opening up ahead, into which one of
the sheep is likely to dart into,, for some perceived advantage,
or just from frustation at being cooped up within the herd etc..
ie, it might be obvious to you - with your superior view -
that there is no advantage in changing lanes,, and yet,,
this is not the criteria they, will use..
- you cant expect them to be or behave rationally here -
[if you were strolling thru the park in a nice psychiatric institution
you may moderate your behaviour when simply walking in front
of someone, a psych patient, based on potential behavioural responses..
they are not 'just someones nice dad' or whoever, in cars, in traffic..
so long as you recognise this change in potential behaviour,
you will not fall into the trap of - trusting them -
sometimes riding slowly a car ahead may prop, for no apparent reason
[dropped their phone, or tried to change hands at 99, or whatever]
which can result in the motorcyclist propping thus potentially
side dropping it.. this is usually not a problem generally,
but within traffic, if you fall when they are stopped,
the problem is that they will start moving, even a little,
which could be over you [as has happened]..
here slow riding practice [easy to do, anywhere] is the answer..
practice very slow riding,, intending to not take a foot of the peg,
unless completely stopped.. this will cut right down on stop time
and thus on stopping thus on propping in response, thus on side drops..
thats not a big thing generally, which is an indication of how relatively
safe slow traffic is for us, once capable of riding slowly with control..
i will have no hesitation in using bus lanes, bicycle lanes or any other
space open to me ['motorcycle space'] riding in traffic incl motorways etc..
its a good idea to actually leave 5 - 10 mins before usual start time,
which allows brain to be more relaxed about making decisions on
changing lanes and so on, with time in mind..
we filter and so on in traffic firstly as the safest way for a motorcycle
to negotiate shared road spaces when in the traffic here, but also
as one obvious way of cutting thru wasted time,, stuck in traffic..
leaving early will provide a sort of context for decisionmaking
on the trot, where if you are in a hurry, you might go for a space
where its not necessary and possibly not safe..
in filtering thru traffic etc, you need to have ongoing attention
and awareness of whats happening ahead or and around you..
this is fairly self evident of course, but think of preparing for
your time in traffic/filtering etc.. this can also make it easier
and safer.. eg, again, walk out to your motorcycle with a few
minutes to spare, take your time in startup etc, not hurrying..
let yourself breathe fully but gently, into diaphragm [relaxing
belly etc].. its worthwhile when shes ready to go, to just
sit quietly for a moment, eyes closed, taking a few nice
breathes, then saying to yourself 'here we go' or however
you personally think of beginning a new activity..
then taking off carefully, thinking of how the tyres feel
[they will be cold] testing brakes [just feeling them etc]
moving around on the seat for comfort, and so on..
this helps direct attention naturally to the activity at hand
ie, riding your motorcycle, and in traffic etc..
just as your motorcycle has a start up phase and warming up etc
so your body and mind will have whatever start up you allow them..
might as well give yourself these small preparatory advantages...
in a way theres a sort of interesting study motorcyclists automatically
go thu simply riding and especially in traffic.. all those drivers
young and old, men and women, going different places for all sorts
of reasons, and with whatever driving and decisionmaking capability
- or relative lack of it - they start out with, and drive near you with..
some of them - will be - drunk,, some will be stressed, anxious,
rushing, overtired, micro-sleeping, distracted, including many
who barely passed easy driving tests - that did not include
motorway or many other forms of driving - and many who never
learned or practiced serious driving skills such as braking etc..
this sounds pretty bad, and it is..
and yet, many people ride regularly in and thru traffic [incl me]..
despite a few crashes [ion 50yrs riding], two at intersections plus
one U turn from the kerb, i have never had any impact or drop
in many many miles of riding in traffic on all sorts of roads
and including filtering.. its not just luck, its attitude to
the task at hand, plus learning and understanding where
potential dangers lie and simply avoiding them..
as you ride along incl away from traffic, take the opportunity
to practice avoiding potholes or even any point on the road,
by changing your hips, knees etc positioning to allow for
quick easy avoidance of 'things'..
this will help switch on your natural avoidance responses
for when they change lanes into your road space etc..
always have an underlying attitude that the will or might
change lanes at any moment for any unknowable reason..
this isnt generating fear, rather developing a realistic
attitude to general driver behaviours..
as soon as one moves near you, as they regularly do,
even if not changing lanes etc, always allow yourself to
move in response.. this is another way of priming your
natural responses, to be always ready to move..
i like to think of this type of thing more as 'fun'
than serious or distracting discipline etc
8 months is something under your belt
as a new motorcyclist..
your attitude as expressed here is an excellent start,
to build on whatever experiences you already have..
bear in mind that one advantage we have is the ability
to not be there, when they change lanes and so on..
in a car there is little if any option for escape..
we are more sensitive to impact, yet we take much less
road space, so are potentially further from impacts,
or harder to get at.. therefore if we choose our spaces
and relative speed etc, we are in a good position to
negotiate traffic safely, efficiently even
enjoyably...
you have overcome the hardest most dangerous phase
the beginning phase.. and now have a more realistic
attitude and some riding skill under your belt..
any skill can be enhanced and improved with practice..
which includes that attitude to general riding, but also
to any courses or advanced riding tuition avalable to you..
remember they crash into each other in cars
and also cause serious and fatal injuries..
that people are injured or killed crossing roads
and so on.. life is short and precious,
in my view motorcycling is part of that..
but if you are really scared, beyond intellectually
aware of dangers etc, then the extra 5 hours and
extra expense of driving a car is always an option..
i reckon the realisation of driver incompetence etc,
while a bit of a shock at first, is one of the most
important realisations a motorcyclist can
and must reach.. you are already there...