BobbyG

Excellent. A good mirror makes for good confidence. You may want to try a helmet- or glasses-mounted mirror.

I have never liked listening to music with headphones while riding...too isolating from traffic. But for the last seven years I have been listening to spoken word podcasts in my right ear while I bike-commute (now in my 26th year of doing so).

With the proliferation of bike lanes in Colorado Springs I hear fewer curses from driver, and I find myself on the sidewalk less and less. Usually when I ride to an unfamiliar location where I don't have a good on-street option. Although planning ahead with maps on the internet really, really helps with that. I would love to visit my 11-year old self in 1973 and explain that I could not only pull a telephone out of my pocket and look at a map of where I am, but also look at a detailled satellite photo and a street view!

Finally @JonBailey you sound like you have put some thought into bike safety and common courtesy. That in itself can only lead to safer, more enjoyable cycling.

Happy cycling!