Personally, urban cycling is scarier than rural. I live rural.. I mostly ride on "one lane" county roads - not even a center line, and very little in the way of a shoulder (in fact, most of the time the side of the road drops off sharply 4+ feet down to a ditch from the edge of the pavement)... that is my "normal". I don't like traffic, I especially don't like sidewalks and driveways and anything else that presents itself as "gaps" in the pavement - clearly most of my issues are not necessarily related to other drivers, but to typical urban obstacles - I'm just not used to those any more.

I've certainly encountered a few asshat drivers where I usually ride, but I would say on average, much fewer than someone who rides in the city because I simply don't pass as many cars. I've had many 10+ mile rides where I can count on one hand the number of moving vehicles I encounter.

Because almost ALL of the "local" cycling clubs routinely hold group rides where I live, most of the drivers around me are fairly cyclist friendly.. and they give you plenty of space. I wish I could speak as well of other cyclists here as I can about drivers