Does the IR increase your safety in VMC?

[Keef]

Looks statistically fishy to me. I don't see any analysis of flying hours, for example.
If those VFR pilots were flying 15 hours a year, and the IFR pilots 150 hours a year, then adjust the numbers for "accidents per flying hour" and tell me what that shows!

I reckon that my IR (or rather, the training for it) has made me much less likely to have an accident.

I still need to look out of the window in VMC, to declare IFR when I run into cloud, and to stay sober when flying.

I'd recommend anyone who can to do the IMC rating (at least) and the IR if they can.