I am also afraid of traffic and falling and I haven't been riding long. But last Tuesday I managed to completely fall over, bike and all, with my feet still in the cages, and I was fine. I did fall into the grass, which certainly helped. It taught me that panicking is not a good thing. I should have thought about the problem (being in the wrong lane) and either tried to move over or pulled my feet out and put on the brakes.

The good thing was that it happened so fast that I wasn't actually aware I was falling until I was on the ground. So I may be less nervous next time.

Riding in a group has helped me build my confidence in riding, especially with traffic, left turns, and stops.