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Anticipating stops and slow-downs prevents immediate emergency braking that can surprise other drivers. I think that is probably the biggest one. Driving with a buffer is also a big one, because of the increased reaction time allowed.
Hypermilers are always looking ahead and feeding themselves information. Drivers talking on cell phones or fiddling with gadgets might get by sometimes, and thus convince themselves that they're plenty capable of multitasking; but when it comes down to it their ability to react to unanticipated situations is greatly reduced.
Now, I'm not saying that every hypermiling tactic is appropriate for every situation. Part of hypermiling is knowing when to refrain from using a certain technique that would impede traffic. If someone were to EOC in heavy traffic, or travel at a speed far below the limit with other drivers behind, I would blame their own irresponsibility, not hypermiling in general. Same with cell phones. The driver chooses whether or not to allow the device to become a distraction.
Overall, the act of hypermiling facilitates greater awareness, not less.
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