It is kind of nice to see this discussion on the Federal level:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/ray-lahood-bicyclists-hips...

"As for whether or not safety has decreased as biking has increased, the data is not entirely as alarming as LaHood suggested. According to a 2009 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study, there were 630 "pedalcyclists" killed due to traffic accidents. That number was well below the 718 killed in 2008, and even further below the 786 killed in 2005. However, the study noted that: “The majority of pedalcyclist fatalities in 2009 occurred in urban areas (70%). In respect to vehicle crash location in relation to an intersection, most pedalcyclist fatalities in 2009 occurred at non-intersections. Compared to 2008 these numbers increased by 5 percent.”"