Larger distances, sure. But those distances have become longer, and traffic on the whole more intense. Still, most Dutch kids cycle to school, and a lot more errands are made by bike than in Denmark (not to mention GB or the USA).

The safety of riding has nothing to do with helmets and (almost) everything to do with infrastructure. And yes, there will always be places where people can't ride on bike paths. And, surpriiiise: those are very sparely inhabited areas. Like, not in cities and suburbs.

I don't really see the point in this. All the tired old VC myths have been refuted. Get over it..