Originally Posted by
contango
I wouldn't say they are always "didn't see him", they could easily be down to a misjudgement of how fast a cyclist is going. I remember reading an article some time back that, although based on one person's observations so arguably anecdata, suggested a lot of motorists see a bicycle and assume a speed of 8-10mph. If you've got a car pulling out expecting the approaching cyclist to be going 8mph and they are actually going 24mph the results aren't likely to be good.
That matches my experience. Eye contact made, car pulls out. "Sorry!" says the driver. Since most drivers haven't been on a bike since childhood, they're still in the "8-10mph on the sidewalk" frame of mind and can't seem to comprehend that a strong cyclist can maintain 20-25mph.