My annual bike mileage has varied. Some years it may have been less than 1000 miles. I'm probably up to 5000 to 6000 miles a year now, mostly commuting and errands, and mostly car-free now.

I would say that I'm fairly risk adverse. I do ride in traffic as needed including the occasional multi-lane busy street, and am always hunting for better, safer, or more interesting routes through town.

I haven't been hit by a car since I was about 6 (which wasn't bad at the time).

I do make the occasional "mistake" (not adequate defensive riding), and try to learn from those mistakes in hope of avoiding future near-misses.

I certainly do not consider a bad car/bike wreck as being inevitable, and hope I can finish my life without getting hit by a car.

I also believe that riding a bike is healthier than not riding. I suppose I'm a bit lazy, and it is hard to motivate myself to just exercise for the sake of exercising.