The problem here is a simple psychology heuristic.
The Availability heuristic is used when humans estimate the probability based on how easily examples of a category come to mind.
Cafzali example really illustrates the heuristic in motion. We as cyclists see and hear about more cyclists deaths than the average person. I myself know one person who barely survived being hit by a car while riding. I also know a girl my age who was hospitalized for a month after an SUV t-boned here while riding. I can honestly say I know no one who has died in a car crash. My personal experiences supplemented with threads like this highlighting more death just make it easier for me to apply this heuristic. I believe my experiences are not far off from others. Unfortunately, in this instance that is not the most healthy application.
It's the same as driving vs. flying, both long distance. People afraid of flying may think of horrific wrecks, when in reality, driving long distances gives a person a much greater risk of injury or death than flying.