I've done a lot of day cycling as well as bike touring. There's certainly risk in touring but it's not easy to disengage it from cycling in general.
The practical problem in touring is you may end up on roads with (a) no shoulder, (b) heavy traffic, and (c) drivers who are not expecting to see bicycles. Oregon highway 140 from Klamath Falls to Medford was one of the scarier roads I've ever toured on. Stuff you might think is a death trap actually isn't. Logging trucks are terrifying for bicyclists, but by and large the drivers are really good and tend to pay close attention to the road. I'm more worried about the old fella driving his RV.
I was riding down the West coast a few years ago, met a cycling friend who I rode with a couple days. An RV passed us (my friend was behind me) and he said that the step ladder or whatever thing on the side of the RV was unhitched and came within inches of hitting me. I usually ride alone; who knows how many close calls I've had like that. Gives me the chills just thinking about it.
The practical problem in touring is you may end up on roads with (a) no shoulder, (b) heavy traffic, and (c) drivers who are not expecting to see bicycles. Oregon highway 140 from Klamath Falls to Medford was one of the scarier roads I've ever toured on. Stuff you might think is a death trap actually isn't. Logging trucks are terrifying for bicyclists, but by and large the drivers are really good and tend to pay close attention to the road. I'm more worried about the old fella driving his RV.