In LA it was common to give extra room to lane splitting motorcyclists, and they'd give you a wave to show their appreciation. Rarely do I ever experience the kind of courtesy afforded to motorcyclists I observed while living in LA as to bicyclists in the city I live now. I did have a gentleman with a bike rack on his car move over for me while stopped at a light to give me some room, but of course, he understood as a fellow cyclist.
My out-there suggestion is to force any able bodied citizen to ride a bicycle on the road prior to getting a drivers license so they at least know what it's like.
Or best of all, cities should model their bicycle infrastructure like Portland, as I can't even recall an incident between myself and a vehicle while living there because of how they designed and implemented bike lanes.