That's true. There are too many different cases, that's why I am saying common sense. If there is a bike box, go ahead and use it. If there is none, then be prepared to not be seen by the car. Traffic is just complex.

PS: In my experience, if there is a bike box, then there is also often a separate bike lane. I was mainly speaking about roads where there is no real bike lane. If there is one, then most things just work out fine.