I guess I've been road riding for about a year and a half now? Things that used to scare the hell out of me really don't bug me at all anymore. I tend to look at the road ahead and keep track of cars to the side or behind me... So that if there's a rough patch of road, I've got the option of just plain stopping if a car is too close to me. Or I can swing out into the road a bit in advance so that a car coming up behind realizes where I am and can get out of the way. I don't hug the edge of the road like I used to, because that gives me nowhere to go if the shoulder turns to crap... I tend to ride on the white line...

There's a link somewhere on here for bike safely that has some good hints on the common accidents that cyclists get into that may help you.

Cars for the most part seem fairly aware & pretty good about cyclists around here.

There's a highway near me that allows cyclists on it - and while I don't find it pleasant, I don't find it a huge deal to bike up the highway for a mile or two with tractor trailers coming by doing 70 mph... I do stay far into the big wide shoulder on it, however.