I don't know any specifics in Kentucky, but I have heard of it happening in Massachusetts, which is ranked a lot higher on the list. And it is a common enough complaint in many states. Personally, I am also concerned with what happens even when there are no cyclists involved. There was an expose in the newspaper here awhile back about how drunk drivers with literally dozens of incidents on their records (including things like smashing into houses in a drunken stupor) were getting off with a slap on the wrist and continuing to drive. The person may have hit a house instead of a cyclist, but letting them keep driving afterward is just as dangerous.
Then there are also laws that regulate how fault is assigned in accidents, who is liable for which expenses, whether there are laws defining safe passing distances and whether those are enforced, what the responsibilities of cyclists are on the road, and what the responsibilities of drivers are, what the police's priorities are, how well laws that affect cycling safety are actually enforced, etc.
All that stuff can vary tremendously from state to state, and most states probably have a mix of some laws that are good for cyclists and some that aren't, some that are well enforced and some that aren't, etc.