Getting hit a couple of times & have some very close calls is precisely why I rarely ride in the street much anymore. It isn't really even an issue of wearing high visibility clothes, reflective gear or lights, either. If the driver isn't looking at the road, it doesn't matter what you're doing. You're going to get hit.
I'm a driver for UPS... we recently had one of our package cars get rear ended. This package car was 7 feet wide and 11 feet tall. The person who hit it was going fast enough for their car to enter the center rear of the package car & exit out the front passenger side. The UPS driver has serious injuries, but the other driver died. Exactly how fast, I wonder, does one have to be driving to drive THROUGH a vehicle designed to back into docks all day?
My point being, if people don't pay enough attention to see 77 square feet of truck, it's clearly too much to ask them to see me on a bike.
I do still ride in the streets, but am blessed enough to live in an area where there are plenty of cycling trails... one nice enough for high speed runs and another that is a climber's paradise.