Fear leads to hatred. Why fear of cyclists though?

I know before I took up cycling I would dread the sight of a group of cyclists on the road: How to get past them safely? Would they wobble /be blown towards my car? Would the (British) road have a straight enough, wide enough, empty enough section for me to get past in good time? If they weren't close to the kerb, in single file, I'd feel they were being a bit selfish, blocking a public highway. These anxieties of mine were more anti where I could see they were using the road for 'enjoyment' i.e. recreational use as opposed to utility use (commuting, shopping, etc). I never sank to hating cyclists but I certainly wished they wouldn't add to the obstacles on the road by being there! One further experience added fuel to these feelings and it did (and still does) get me hot under the collar... Cyclists breaking traffic laws and riding too fast near pedestrians - in fact behaving much like bad drivers do with cyclists!

So what resolved some of this? Self-education, mainly. When I became a keen (recreational) cyclist myself I made it my business to learn how to keep myself and others safe: I read the British 'Highway Code' sections on cycling (very revealing as I'd never bothered to look at those bits when just a driver), watched some helpful YouTube vids on the subject of defensive cycling techniques, and got myself a bike mirror.

So! I'm convinced that new and established drivers should be made to learn specifically what cyclists are taught to do on the road, so they know what to expect from them. This should be incorporated into driving lessons and the test. Both cyclists and drivers need also to be taught to 'ride to the conditions', slowing down when necessary, not expecting to carry on at high speed regardless of weather, congestion, obstacles etc. Presumed liability needs to be written in law (as in some parts of Europe where it works successfully to protect the vulnerable): the more speedy presumed liable to slower road users unless they can show evidence to the contrary - this includes cyclists being liable to walkers, of course.

Sorry this has been a long post but I feel so strongly about this and it's really a bit of an appeal to support responsible campaigning in your areas to work against ignorance, fear and hatred amongst road users.