I used to commute through London by bike. Like the cliche I was I ended up riding a fixie (everything else either got stolen or broke).

I found through trial and error that riding aggressively was safest, not because it was inherently safer but because everyone would take note of the idiot hooning around too fast and take extra caution. Of course the failure mode here is when someone doesn’t notice you…

Years later I now commute by bike in Cornwall where the local population is ignorant of cyclists. I ride an electric cargo bike with my son on the back and I’m incredibly conservative.

There’s no real difference in incidence of accidents, but incidence of “near-miss” and severity of possible accident? Hands down riding conservatively with no hopping around is safer. Duh! ;)

> I've cycled to work for 15 years, and I've never hopped up a kerb and I don't even know what a whip skid / ted shred is.

My commuter e-bike weighs a solid 80lbs fully loaded. I'm not hopping curbs or doing "whip skids" on it. I basically ride it like a touring motorcycle.

I rode in London, a lot. Fast, too. Couple of accidents, once slipped off a pedal it speed, ran over my foot, but stayed on (thanks, physics), once got too close too a rising curb and couldn't steer, hit a fence at speed, got deep cuts and lots off bruises, but bike took most off the damage. Have had accidents since, usually from heavy breaking, with complication leading to launching over the front. I cannot see how these boards could be safer, any dismount at equivalent speed would need considerable skill to not face plant, and any complications would just add energy too the impact. That or you could simply quail too stop in time and hit something (like a car door opening, or a truck pulling out, or that kid/dog that ran in front of you)

I've only crashed once in Copenhagen, when a tourist turned left directly from the right side of the lane.

Oh, and once when I was so drunk I fell off 2 seconds after getting on the bike.

In London it's necessary to plan a quieter route, using roads most people don't even realise exist. It can't be as nice as the Netherlands, but it can be OK.

I once took a bike safety class that included practicing "quick turn", "rock dodge", and rapid braking. (I guess the last is included in "how to use your brakes".)

I'd like for my skills at each of these to be better than they are today, and I ride my bike quite a bit.