Stealthammer

+1

The primary reason obnoxious drivers don't necessarily give all other drivers a bad name is because everybody drives. Few people will vilify a group that they themselves are a part of, and another 3000lb. vehicle is instantly perceived as a potential threat by most other drivers.

Cyclists however, being a significant minority, are prime targets for blanket vilification because we are a minority, because a driver in a 3000lb. car looks at a cyclist on a 25lb. bicycles and their first impression is " no threat there", and because unless we are in a group we will not have witnesses to any aggression against a lone cyclist.

If you don't see the anomosity and apathy displayed by many drivers to all bicycles that they encounter, I would suggest that you don't commute by bicycle or that you mainly ride in groups. Over 40 years of riding on the road has proven to me that how I dress, what I ride, how I ride, and how courteous I am to other road users has a significant effect on how drivers treat me. Every arrogant cyclist that ignores stop signs and red lights, or blocks the driver's right-of-way by riding two abreast on narrow roads, puts all of us at higher risk.