Couldn't disagree more. I'm over 2500 miles in the past six months on separated path, bike lane, sidewalk and street and aside from the sidewalks in el barrio, the "may use full lane" part of the world is the scariest by far. I've been closer to death on those passages than anywhere else. As far as "country roads" it depends a lot on the country road. Around where I was in LA, those "country roads" are world-renowned.
The Greater KC Metro area has one of the highest ratios of highway miles per person in the nation (over 1 mile per 1000 people iirc), which has to be shaping driving habits around here. At the very least, I'm riding with drivers are less pissed off that I'm in the way because the infrastructure is more than able to absorb the maneuvers needed to pass if I have had to take the lane.