It's easy to lose perspective on these things.

Here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you basically have somebody getting killed driving every day. And while you know it happens, it's not front page news, either. A friend of mine from church was killed in a car wreck, and there was one little article a week later in a small-town paper- if you didn't know him, you'd never have heard about it. But I didn't see it posted on any "driver" forums, didn't hear anyone say "Wow, this driving sure is dangerous!", didn't hear any advice to quit driving before I got killed, nor did I hear any advice to always wear a helmet while driving.

Periodically, you'll hear of people getting killed on bicycles around here. Sometimes, it's recreational cyclists killed through no fault of their own. Other times, it's people riding at night without lights, etc. Unfortunately, that hazard is there. But as far as I can tell, your odds of getting killed while riding a bike, on an hourly basis, aren't any worse, and maybe better, than while driving a car.