Sunday, the driver was run onto the opposite shoulder in a screaming cloud of tire smoke by a pickup truck driver who swerved across the road as he passed me from behind. I was well to the right of the white line and flying down a hill a few miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Yet as the pickup truck passed me, the driver pulled clear across the road into oncoming traffic and nearly ran a white Subaru into oblivion.

At the last moment, with the nose of the Subaru in the bushes overhanging the narrow shoulder, the truck swerved back into its own lane and stomped on the gas. I caught a quick glance of the driver's eyes in the mirror of the truck as it sped off down the road.

Today, a middle-aged woman in an aging maroon Volvo drove clear off the road as she passed me on the other side of the road. As soon as she saw me coming down the road towards her, she pulled hard onto the shoulder and dropped her passenger side tires into the soft gravel beside the road. Granted, the shoulder's were virtually nonexistant on the narrow unpainted country road, but there was more than enough room for two cars to pass comfortably, let alone a car and a bicycle.

As I neared the next corner, I looked back over my shoulder to see the woman slowly trying to coerce her car back up onto the pavement. I can only assume she finally recovered from the experience.

I've ridden for miles some days on back roads with drivers pacing me slowly from behind, too scared to pass. Then, with a long clear straightaway, they'll pull clear onto the other side of the road and nervously execute their move. The problem with this generally lies in the fact that they either have collected a long line of traffic behind them which now must all pass me at once, or there is unseen traffic ahead that they must swerve to pass. In either instance, they've turned a rather simple procedure into a dangerous manuever.

If you happen to be one of those nervous drivers when it comes to passing a bicyclist, please allow me to offer a few quick tips for your next encounter.

When you approach a cyclist from behind, pick your foot up off the accelerator and take a few mental notes of the cyclists posture and ability. If the cyclist is moving in a nice straight line and is well towards the edge of the road (or as close as debris, potholes, and roadkill will allow), pull slightly towards the yellow line, not over it, and let your car coast past at a constant speed. Keep your eyes forward while passing and once you're past, take a quick glance in the rear view mirror and motor onward.

Most cyclists moving in traffic are aware of the risks and make every effort to stay out of the way of the cars and trucks motoring past. In most instances, it's much safer to go for the clean pass rather than pacing the rider or passing in a swerving frenzy of tire smoke.

As the bumper stickers plead: Share the Road.