Around this neck of the woods, the Cager crowd seems to develop a respect for you if you follow the Rules of the Road. I take the same route to work when I ride the 12 mile route to the office. I stop at all of the stop signs and lights, use the hand signals. Other people travel along the same route, at roughly the same time. When they see how you ride, the give you the space you need and the right-of-way you deserve.
I have seen plenty of other riders who blow right through a stop light or sign and don't think a thing of it. Then there are the ones who ride on the wrong side of the pavement. They need to review the Rules of the Road! Unfortunately they are the ones who give the rest of us a bad name.
For the most part, the drivers in the Midwest are courteous.
I'm a cager myself. Sometimes a cager with an attached bike!