So, you have never traveled away and remarked "wow, people really drive differently here"? I see a marked difference between drivers here and drivers in OR, WY, and MO, to name a few examples off the top of my noggin. I would expect several factors could contribute to better safety for the cyclist. Sure a car could potentially maim a cyclist, but by that logic so could many other objects, animate or not, which is not a particularly helpful piece of advice. I'm not so sure about my riding style serving me well everywhere...when I take my defensive driving back out to the midwest, I am no longer defensive but a complete ass.