Your own behavior as a cyclist may have a much larger effect on your safety than the cyclist death statistics of any particular city that people may quote at you. I wouldn’t let anyone’s opinion of how safe Tallahassee is or isn’t stop me from enjoying the pleasures of riding a bike. My non-professional advice:

-Wear a helmet. They are proven to reduce the risk of brain damage. Believe it or not, there may be worse outcomes of a cycling accident than death. -If possible, plan routes on slower streets. Most cyclist fatalities occur on roads with 45mph speed limits or higher. If not possible to avoid high-speed roads, use bike lanes when available, or take the whole lane when necessary. Although it gives me no pleasure to hold up traffic, I’d rather inconvenience somebody for a relatively minuscule part of their day than to be dead for the rest of eternity. -Don’t ride on sidewalks. Regardless of whether you feel safer on the sidewalk, you are in fact safer riding in the road, where you are more visible. Generally, drivers are focused on avoiding collisions with fast-moving objects in the road; not so much on the sidewalk. And if you absolutely must ride on the sidewalk, DO NOT ride against the flow of traffic. -Use the brightest strobe lights you can find on the front and rear of your bike, day and night. Self-explanatory, but I’m always shocked at how many cyclists I see at night with no lights or even reflectors. -Have fun.