There are a lot of places around the country that I wouldn't want to risk being on a bicycle. Sadly we have more than our fair share of hateful jerks who would love to kill us and get away with it saying "it was an accident," usually in an oversized 4WD truck driving too fast and too aggressively.
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But, there are usually better places to ride if one does some research on safer routes (not always possible however - sometimes better to bypass the area).
It's better than it used to be despite all the narcissistic murderous egomaniacs in their oversized pickup trucks. 45 years ago in California I was shot at, beer bottles and cans thrown at me, run off the road, spit at, cussed at, and other transgressions just for the sin of riding a bicycle on a public road. That hasn't happened to me in a long time, but I do choose my routes more carefully these days.
Having lived in Europe for 16 years (I'm back in the USA now), I felt much safer riding there. Drivers are better trained and don't tend to let their frustrations out on cyclists - they seem to have a more civilized attitude toward cyclists, giving room on the road, staying behind if it's unsafe to pass, and a general attitude that cyclists truly have rights too.