Bicyclists aren’t as awful as drivers seem to think, study says

By DANIKA WORTHINGTON, Denver Post

...
“Scofflaw bicyclists tend to be rational individuals trying to function safely and efficiently, even if it means they are doing so illegally, given the social norms of where they live and the transportation system put in front of them,” the study read.

Ironically, studies show that drivers and pedestrians break the same, if not more, traffic laws than bicyclists do. But Johnson said many drivers don’t bike so lack empathy for two-wheelers.
...

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/15/bicyclists-drivers-study/

[B' Spokes: Some of the craziest accusations I have seen are where people flipping out over cyclists not "stopping" (because they did not put their foot on the ground) but meanwhile motorist were not coming to a complete stop either. My assertion is that a car going 30mph slowing to 8mph looks safer to motorists than a cyclists going 10mph slowing to 8mph. And that's just one example where the same thing has different safety perceptions depending on the bias of the observer.]