If nothing else, September’s alleged road rage incident and the ensuing fallout exposed how much drivers resent our presence on “their” roads.

But while it’s important to assert our rights and not be bullied or intimidated, we have to concede this point: There are times when we do a terrible job of sharing the road.

And frankly, I’m sick of being scared that I’ll pay violent consequences for someone else’s lack of courtesy. I’m tired of drivers laying on the horn because we’re spread out over the road. I hate being embarrassed for what my fellow riders are doing.

So let’s try to keep a few things in mind as we head out on our group rides:

Ride two abreast. It’s the safest way to ride, and it’s also the law. There are times when going wider is unavoidable -- pulling off of a double paceline, for example, or passing recreational riders -- but often we do it out of laziness or obvliousness. If there’s traffic, try to go single-file when overtaking other riders.

Ride tight. Work on becoming comfortable enough to ride mere inches from the riders around you. Ride close enough that you can converse without raising your voice. Riding tight not only minimizes the amount of the road you take up, but it will make you a better racer, too.

Don’t run the red if you don’t have to. Don’t be greedy. Your interval can wait. If it’s not necessary to go through the light, don’t. It only antagonizes drivers and gives credence to the myth that we have no respect for safety or the law. Drivers will notice when you wait patiently for that red light to turn, mostly because, to our discredit, it’s such a rare sight.

Don’t swarm cars at the light. So you get to a red light and there are already cars lined up at the intersection. If you’re by yourself, it might be fine to scoot through to the crosswalk. Not so when you’re in a group. Too often groups of us weave into the spaces between the cars. This is incredibly dangerous and serves only to piss drivers off, especially when we swarm on both sides. (It’s not going to get us anywhere any faster anyhow.)

Spread good karma. Don’t hesitate to say “sorry” or give a thankful wave when a car lets you go ahead of your turn. Give a happy “Good morning” to the driver waiting at the light with you. (Personally I’m a fan of saying “Bless you” when I hear a driver sneeze.) Each act of kindness reminds one more person that we are human beings and not targets or obstructions.