Originally Posted by ranger5oh
Also, I know some girls are scared of being on the road with cars. I also know guys who are scared, but again... its reducing the number.
I think you're right - fear is the main reason. My wife is an avid cyclist and a runner. She has no problem going out running by herself, but she rarely goes cycling by herself because she gets harassed a lot more on her bike. As a runner, she's protected by a curb. But when she's riding her bike alone, she's had many incidents where creeps in cars say nasty things to her and she's had a couple of incidents where guys have tried to grab her butt while she's moving.
Jerks in cars view cyclists as easy targets. And if you're a female cyclist, you're smaller and weaker (in general), making you a much easier target.