I've only been riding on the roads for 7 months and I've had plenty of close encounters while riding on the far right of the right line, just bordering the shoulder, to begin asserting myself and ALWAYS taking the lane. I'll ride to the right when it's rush hour because I don't want to the ****** that's holding up traffic + I usually move faster than cars in rush hour.
I live in LA, not the most bike friendly city, and so I don't want to give drivers any chance of hitting me while they attempt to pass me.