I almost got hit by an suv yesterday, I've been hit by a pickup truck. Most of the grief I get on the road comes from these two types of vehicles, so its not just an idle sterotype, at least where I live.
I think the mind process here goes something like "Oh, I have this huge vehicle with all these saftey features that is bigger than all these little cars and cyclists, I can do whatever I want and they'd better get out of the way." It's like an arms race.