At university aged 19 i was taunted for being the 'small' guy although 5'9" is of average height, being only 115lb at the times...my build was very fragile. I noticed the guys that bullied me had to have cars that were bigger and more powerfully! than the guy who got the chicks he liked. So i think it's that same old machismo thing of SIZE=Dominance, small=laughable. If you think its bad in the states you should see it here in Great Britain..there has been a boom in SUV sales especially amongst upper-middle class folk and they never use them for what they were designed for; offroad utility. They use them to drop the kids off within walking distance of there own home! With the roads being very narrower here compared to the states some ppl (especially women) having poor sense of the width of the vehicle they're driving. If your a cyclist and you ride close to the kerb I advise you thats a bad thing, if you hear an SUV coming..just pull out a little. Most accidents happen when motorists think they can 'sneek' through but end up hitting the cyclist. Many SUV drivers hate this 'right' you have of the lane and would beep and say "you should'nt ride as far out as that..prick" - says who? im a cyclist and im allowed my space, why can't they wait until the oncoming traffic has passed and then overtake? SUV's are ridden by dicks who think they own the roads 90% of the time.