I concur with Buzzman's point regarding two wheels versus four wheels (or more). Although I think that the difference is more subtle than I read in his text.
I think that the big difference is your risk profile. That is, what is in all likelihood a fender bender in a car has a much higher probability of being catastrophic on a bicycle. Given a person's preferences, one's optimal choices in identical situations could certainly be different.
A side note ...
A big issue that we tend to gloss over in these conversations, however, is what is being optimized? Are we focused on speed, convenience, or safety? Most likely it is some combination of the three. What risks is the cyclist or driver least comfortable with? These considerations will all affect a person's optimal choice. Since these things vary from person to person or even from day to day within the same person, meaningful conversations regarding the "right/wrong" or "best/worst" way to cycle are difficult to conduct without a good deal of flexibility in interpretation by the reader.