This may not answer everything Stevage was asking in the two questions he asked in his post. However, it does offer an opinion on the question in the title of the thread.

People driving motor vehicles may not consider that people who ride bicycles are adults as well as teenagers and children. A great many of them may not be aware that traffic laws state that bicycles are vehicles that are to be operated on the road. They may not be aware that bicyclists have the same rights on the roads as motor vehicle drivers do. But even if they do know these things, many motor vehicle drivers just refuse to accept them. To some motor vehicle drivers, it is their belief that once they received their lisence to operate a motor vehicle, the bicycle is abandoned, inferior to the bulk, weight, and power of an automobile, and/or classified as "just a children's toy."

Drivers of motor vehicles tend not to discipline each other as much as they do to bicyclists. After all, it often appears that people on 30 LB bicycles are just "in the way" of motorists driving their 2000 LB motor vehicles. In a driver-to-driver situation, there is no problem between each other until people's lives are in danger. That, and there are fewer people riding bicycles in America's streets than there are people operating motor vehicles.

While it is true that people begin riding bicycles when they are children and continue into their teenage years, It isn't often thought that adults might use them, too. So comes the thought that adult and younger bicyclists alike are treated like children, even if they don't display the behavior of children.
However, it is important that motorists and bicyclists need to recognize one another as responsible people when using the road. After all, I am a 39-year old adult cyclist with decades of riding experience (i.e. I know and abide by the same rules as motorists do, such as not blowing through red lights and stop signs). Yet I recognize that many fellow cyclists also own and operate motor vehicles and know better. Hopefully, this issue will improve in the near future.


WHEREVER YOU GO, THERE YOU ARE.