I agree strongly with Findo. I think that in the UK the situation outside controlled airspace plays a part in modifying the behaviour of pilots:
Here's a bit from CAP413 about the Radar Advisory Service.
The avoiding action instructions which a controller may pass to resolve a confliction with non-participating traffic will, where possible, be aimed at achieving separation which is not less than 5nm or 3000ft, except when specified otherwise by the CAA. However, it is recognised that in the event of the sudden appearance of unknown traffic, and when unknown aircraft make unpredictable changes in flight path, it is not always possible to achieve these minima.
(my italics)
Loss of 5 nm/3000 ft separation does not justify (IMHO) throwing large aeroplanes around the sky, particularly where conflictions are with slow-moving targets. Under a Radar Advisory Service, many pilots are used to being vectored around primary targets where the chance of the conflicting traffic being anywhere near their level is extremely remote.
Even though CAP413 calls the less urgent version "advice on action necessary to resolve the confliction", I cannot be the only pilot flying who, embarrassingly perhaps, has become inured to the expression "avoiding action" and was somewhat surprised to glean the consensus of this thread.