In all fifty states a bicycle rider is considered a vehicle with the same privilege and duties to follow the rules of the road as for the other vehicles we share our roads with. Unfortunately as our lives get more busy, too many road users become frustrated with anything or anyone, such as a bicyclist, that slows their progress of them getting where they are going as fast as they want- and at the same time they are being distracted by their cell phones and other multitasking issues while propelling a two thousand pound vehicle down the road.
Taken from an article at http://www.timesnews.net/community_article.php?id=2184