I say a driver tends to avoid a biker if the driver sees the biker or warning lights. However, there are exceptions to that rule. In order to cause a biker fatality, all it takes is 1 bad driver out of 10,000 for example.

There have been many times I came close to hitting a biker at night who had no lights or reflective gear, and I have better than 20/20 vision. It pissed me off because my heart rate shot up and I had to think about what could have happened, while the biker kept riding in ignorant bliss. In contrast, a biker with bling puts himself in a much safer position.