I'm not sure your argument holds up. The fact that there were more pedestrian deaths prior to the introduction of hybrids does not address whether or not hybrids are inherently more dangerous.

First off, pedestrian fatalities may not be the best measure. If we want to use a statistic, we should limit the comparisons to vehicles that are available in both hybrid and gas-only. They have been redesigning SUVs to have a lower impact on children over the last decade what was a significant cause of fatalities previously.

Second, as you pointed out, current hybrid drivers are, well, a different breed. They may very well be safer, but as hybrids become cheaper and more common, we'll start to see a more diverse group driving. At that point, if hybrids do have a more inherent level of danger, it could be a serious problem.