Originally Posted by
mjac
... I believe many of these deaths and injuries are with inexperienced riders and that hurts the sport.
You may be operating under a false assumption here. Of the struck and killed riders that I read about, the vast majority are experienced bicyclists. Often, they are cycling advocates, long-time riders, and commuters. Like you, I haven't taken the time to research this, it's simply my instincts after having read of cycling deaths in the last decade.
I think that inexperienced riders generally are aware of their limitations and hesitate to accept the risks of riding in traffic. Newer riders stick to MUPs and the like. That's my sense anyway.