Sometimes when it rains I carpool, and I see how annoyed and irate most drivers get when commuting. So I don't regret not owning a car.
The downside is not being easily able to take day trips, so I still might buy one some day.
I'd happily ride on trails or small streets (and have) , but most of the regular commute riders I know do ~30mi rt a day... most of them doing it more than 5 yearrs have been in an injury accident. Maybe cyclists talk about accidents more than divers, but the percentage certainly seems higher.
My direct door-to-door commute is 19mi. Takes me about 50-55 minutes. None of it is on bike paths.
I take Foothill from the cupertino border all the way to menlo Park.
I can also go into cupertino and take the bike path to the edge of the 101 (close to the PA airport).
If you want to make it longer, you can take Stevens Canyon to Foothill. This makes the commute 30mi but also less traffic and much more challenging to ride.
I would say on average I commute to work about 3 days a week during the summer. I just don't like commuting back in the dark during the winter.
In terms of accidents, I've had none. I had 2 close calls over the course of 3 years. One was a complete jerk and one was due to the sun angle (something you need to be aware of as a cyclist too).
Bay Area is really awesome for riding to work. Foothill is busy but also gets a lot of rider traffic so drivers tend to be more patient.
I also find that a lot of it is up to you, some riders ride like the road belongs to them.
Once I was able to avoid the south bay life became far more pleasant.
Those are just the areas I know.
It is truly an amazing place to ride. Generally flat, very nice weather. Even in the rain I don't mind the ride, but I have to wear waterproof shoes, and I bought waterproof pants and a jacket.
for safety, i guess i just try to follow the rules of the road (i'm not perfect though, coming from a background of not knowing how to drive).
I've never had an issue with general QoL while reading, people generally seem pretty considerate.
I'm lucky because there is a nice trail that I can ride on for the majority of my ride. But it's a little sad that the South Bay has so many built-in advantages for bike commuting (good weather year-round, mostly flat) but so little good bike infrastructure.
At least these guys are trying: https://bikesiliconvalley.org/