The fact of the matter is that unless you live in a specifically bike-friendly town like PDX or SF or Ames, most people either don't write down their VIN or don't know one is on the bike! Bikes in American society are still viewed as children's toys or for the poor, so to acknowledge them as something more would, in the authorities' view, make them look ridiculous.
This post has been insightful and educational. I believe I read or was told by a Dutch that the bikes you see on the street in the Netherlands are the crappy bikes. Many own quality bikes that they keep inside and use for serious rides.