Originally Posted by
bikemig
Not entirely true. Some cities are worse than others because of the level of traffic or how badly behaved drivers are. I've commuted in six different cities both in the states and abroad (3 in the US of A, 3 in Europe) and there are clear differences. The worst by a long shot was New Orleans; seriously bad drivers who don't respect the rules of the road (in fact NO probably leads the nation in uninsured drivers). My little midwestern city is pretty good. The drivers are fairly courteous. The traffic volume is much, much, much lower than the east coast city I commuted in (Boston). And the roads are reasonably broad so there is plenty of room for cars and cyclists.
Guess my point is that wherever you ride, the same laws of physics apply. Your bike and body will leave at most a small dent on a car. You alone will suffer the consequences of a collision, regardless of where you ride. Some cities may be safer on average, but this means nothing with respect to each encounter with a car.