In my home village (South Eastern Germany), "outdoor cats" are the norm and nobody would even think about locking their cats indoors. The cats from different homes hang out together, have their little fights from time to time, make very loud love in summer nights (which is the only slightly annoying part), or get into furious disagreement with a weasel and other wildlife "invading" their territory in the village.

Very rarely, a cat is run over by a car, but by far most cats seem to be smart enough to avoid cars (and human drivers also usually seem to be smart enough to avoid running over cats by driving somewhat responsibly).