IMO in the history of motorcycles there has never been a more dangerous time to ride on the street. On the other hand modern safety gear has made off-road riding much safer.
i think it really comes down to where to live i guess.. the most dangerous thing i usually deal with is animals or gravel..
Off road has always been my first love, road riding is just something I do to get more use out of the bike on a nice day. I think if I had enough disposable income I would only ride on the supermoto setup on tracks and maybe occasionally venture out onto the roads. Gotta say on a nice summers evening road can feel very nice though. I think commuting to a full time 9-5 during rush hour is where you are exposed to the most risk, like the poor guy in your OP. Dude didn't stand a chance and that really is sad.
When I was riding to work on my suz 1200 bandit there's two speeds on the highway, the cars and trucks are at 80/85 mph. To keep out of there way I'm up around 95/100 mph. The only way is to stay a fast moving target. I think more bikers are hit at traffic lights stopped. I sold my bandit because it wasn't fun riding to work anymore. I was going faster and fast to stay ahead of the cars. I had a gal for no reason come across six lanes to cut me off. Her car was used as a weapon. Scary on a bike. If I was to ride again I'd get a go-pro.
