You'll also get the people that do the half-assed lane change, where they'll keep one tire on your lane, as if taking the other lane is just way too difficult.
I would think however it's more of being assertive, not that the driver recognizes you as a vehicle. Your giving him no choice... this doesn't educate him, but really, you can't educate most of these people anyway.
Curbs make me uneasy, so I like to take more of the lane.