Many American cities' roads are absolutely gigantic, compared to in Europe. And I'm not just talking about their multi-lane freeways - this goes for residential streets too.
To pick a city street at random, look at [1] - a road so quiet you can't see a single moving car in either direction, and it's wide enough you could fit five vehicles abreast.
Americans don't pass within a few finger widths of a parked car, because they can leave a six foot gap just as easily.
Not really. It's the same - as close as a few finger widths.