One of the perils of the information age is that extreme, rare cases become widely known, which leads people to believe that the world is much, much more dangerous than it actually is.
Yes, horrible things do happen. Tens of thousands of motorists die each year in car crashes. A few hundred cyclists die each year in bicycle crashes. That's a tiny fraction of the people who do these things. But for the families of those involved, it's cold comfort that the event that took the life of their loved one was highly unlikely. Because of the ready availability of information, we are made painfully aware of their terrible suffering, and the gruesome details of these rare, horrible events.
I don't think this awareness is a bad thing until it makes us so afraid that we stop doing the things that give our life meaning. It's good to know that bad things can happen if that knowledge makes us more careful. It's good to have the knowledge if it inspires us to find ways to make the world safer. But if I ever feel that too much knowledge of extreme, unlikely events is turning me into some scared little animal, afraid to do the things that give my life meaning, that's when I'll tune out.
So yeah -- bad driving is potentially a serious threat. The odds are strong that it won't cause you or me any harm, and there are things we can do to improve the odds further. Bicycle safely, visibly, and above all, attentively.
In the big picture, I think our culture needs a values shift, as a growing number of folks clearly seem to value small amounts of time, money and convenience more than they value the safety -- and even the lives -- of other people. I hope someone smarter than I am can figure out ways to create that values shift. All I can think of are better urban planning, better street/road design and more aggressive enforcement of existing traffic laws. Maybe a few new laws. And of course, more people cycling instead of driving. First we'll have to help them overcome their illogical fear of cycling....
Of course, what we all really should fear are unhealthy foods and sedentary lifestyles, since those things kill more than half of us.