Riding hazards series: Sharing the road with cabs

I don't have to tell anyone who's ridden more than a day in NYC about how to drive around cab drivers. But for the uninitiated, here are a few tips and rules:

-Above all, look out for cabs with their center light lit on their roof - they're looking for pedestrians, and will cut over to the side of the road at any intersection. To play it safe, always ride outside a cab looking for passengers (ride closer to the middle lane if a cab is driving either to the right or left side of the street). If an available cab is driving down the middle lane, *get out of the way*!

-Cabs with all lights off on top are carrying passengers. Beware around intersections. These cabs will often rapidly decelerate to drop off near an intersection. If you see brake lights, expect a full stop is coming. Furthermore, be careful as they approach intersections, since they may be asked by their passengers to drop on the extreme opposite side of the road. If that's the case, they'll drive straight across, often swerving at the last minute.

-Look out for long lines of cabs, especially in waiting lines near hotels or train stations. Often, cabs toward the back of the line will give up on the wait, and quickly dart out of the line, back into traffic.

-Cabs stuck in stop and go traffic will quickly dart to the left or right as traffic starts to move, so avoid lane splitting anywhere near them. They're not unpredictable - in fact, they're very predictable... just assume they'll always dart randomly.

-Be as aware as cab drivers are... look out for groups of people clustered around corners and intersections. Even if they don't have their hands waved, cab drivers know they might raise when they see a cab with its light on. Look out for cabs swerving over, or cut out from behind another car into your lane