Not particularly scary!
London is scary, but that's got more to do with population density than anything else.
London is one place I do not drive around if I can avoid it.
Even scarier is the antics some of the cyclists get up to - some of them do not abide by traffic law and they really do have a deathwish!

Look at Manchester.
The picture is very different.
The population density is a lot lower than London, and the number of incidents is correspondingly lower.


A look at where I live in Rossendale.
You need to pull the map across until you get a town on the left side that's named Haslingden.
According to the statistics shown most deaths were of car drivers, which kinda sits in with my experience - it's a semi rural area, and there are lots of drivers who do not adhere to speed limits, have piss poor anticipation skills, and are distracted by other things in the car while they're driving.
In other words, they drive just like idiots do up and down the country - I get all over the UK and I see it all over the UK.

On a good note - there were no cyclists killed in the time frame, and we have a lot of cyclists and cycling clubs riding through and about the area.

Phil's post is spot on - you have to vigilant every time you go outside your front door.

Mirrors on bikes are a good thing Mike.
I always ride with one attached.
It's a great pity that most car drivers have forgotten what it's like to ride a bike on the roads, and that they need consider that what is no real obstacle to a car can be extremely perilous to a cyclist.
I don't know what the cycle lanes are like where you are, but most of them are in poor condition around here, and as a result they're dangerous to use. I'm still waiting for the exchange of words with some impatient idiot behind a wheel. Hasn't happened yet, but I expect it will at some point.

Attitudes on both sides need to change IMO. I used to be an avid cyclist and as such I abided strictly by the rules of the road, stopping at traffic lights and crossings, employing clear hand signals when turning etc, etc.

I was attacked on one occasion by a fellow cyclist for causing him to swerve as I slowed down to stop at a Pelican crossing. He had no intention of stopping and as a result nearly ploughed into a mum with a buggy who was negotiating the crossing. I should add the lights were on red. Once he eventually brought his rather expensive carbon fibre framed racing bike to a halt, he marched towards me, pushing the mother out of the way, and threw a punch at my face. I put him straight down on his arse.

4 deaths in Edinburgh this year(that I know of). This is rated as a superb city for cycling as well!! Personally,I go for a highly aggressive style of riding in the city. I utterly fancy my chances with ANY motor vehicle/driver and will not hesitate to kick cars too close,pull in front of them throw down the bike and give them a chance to have a go WITHOUT their cars. Fuck them. Cars have had it their way long enough.
I also(roughly) follow the rules unless the situation demands otherwise. I'm a proper handful on a bike.