It is for YOUR benefit as well (safety)!
"See and avoid" is simply bollox.
If I see what happens in airspace E regarding so called "legal encounters" I must say: Might be legal, but it is NOT safe (although VFRs have to squawk)!
Breathtaking "happenings" there (avoiding actions by IFR flights, because they've got a VFR flight head on, 1NM/0ft between IFR flight departing and VFR crossing from right to left and IFR pilot understandably shaken; In all those cases traffic info had been given, but since VFR flights in E are not required to call on a frequency, as an ATCO you don't know anything about their intentions, even the altitude readout is not confirmed).