It seems much of visibility and safety is counter-intuitive. Look at how many people tell me I need a flag on my recumbent, or how it must be terribly difficult for people to see me on that bike. In my experience they see me slightly more often than they do when I'm on the fixed wheel, and then they give me huge amounts of room. Another one is that little "fear" wobble many of us do when we sense a bad or impatient driver behind us. It's an excellent way of giving yourself time and space.
I'm convinced, as is Nuttycyclist and quite a few others, we've all experienced fewer close calls when we stopped wearing hiviz. It's not necessary to be seen in the urban environment, and it doesn't help you get any more space.
Regardless, Tony is a sensible and intelligent poster, and worthy of some thought.