Maybe that’s a big part of why I hate it. I only see bikes lane splitting on rare occasions, so when it happens it always catches me off guard. If I’m changing lanes, regardless of if the traffic is moving or and a stand still, I’m watching for other cars in other lanes, I’m not watching for bikes in between lanes.
It’s a bit like someone riding their bike on the sidewalk. Cars backing out of driveways just aren’t expecting someone to be moving that fast on the sidewalk.
I had a close call like that on my first day out. I was in a right turn lane, close-ish, to the curb. Someone either didn’t see me or didn’t care and squeezed in between me and the car to my left.
Since that incident, whenever I’m riding, I remember being taught to ‘make yourself as wide as a car’, so other cars can’t do things like that. After that, I always remind myself to stop at red lights in the center of the lane.
Similarly, since learning about SMIDSY*, here I think, I started weaving back and forth a bit when passing an intersection/driveway with a car waiting to pull out onto the road. I see a lot of other bikes (motorcycles and bicycles) doing the same thing.
*Sorry, Mate, I Didn’t See You. It’s amazing how many drivers will look directly at you, then pull out in front of you clearly not aware of your existence.