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@gbj_tester
Obviously there's going to be some confirmation bias here, but it does seem to overwhelmingly the case, from my POV as a driver, that men ride like twats to endanger themselves while women ride in the gutter to the same degree. Considerate driving should actually reduce the danger to cyclist who are failing to claim their space more easily than it can reduce the danger to the sometimes unpredictable idiots who are all over the road being "assertive". On the other hand, lots of car/van/truck/bus drivers are shit, so the riders who think they are safe if they keep 6 inches from the kerb are making a false assumption, while the idiot cyclists do at least seem to be taking some notice of the traffic some of the time.
While we're waiting for decent driving standards, cyclists have to do a couple of things which some of them aren't doing yet. First, make sure drivers can see you. A quite alarming number of cyclists seem to be on stealth undercover missions at night. Pedal reflectors or retro-reflective dots on your heels have no running costs, can't be nicked while your bike is parked, and are the first thing a driver sees on unlit roads, unless you're also wearing a full-on Hi-Viz vest. They not only jump out of the clutter, but their movement instantly identifies you as a cyclist. Best. Night-safety item. Ever. By day, don't merge into the crowd. If you're 6 inches from the kerb, you might as well be a pedestrian on the pavement for all the visual impact you have. Second, make sure drivers actually have to act on having seen you. Again, 6 inches from the kerb is useless. If a driver doesn't have to move the steering wheel to get past you, he won't.
I know that's preaching to the converted, but it's what I see day in and day out as somebody who drives around London for a living taking more notice of cyclists than the average driver. Several female friends have asked for my advice because I'm a known cyclist and they don't feel safe on London's roads, and it's always the same mantra which comes to mind first, based on my 1000 hours or so a year of driving in London.
Get the driver's attention.
Make him act on it.
^T-shirt (in a women's cut first).