CC,
I fell three times when I first got my bike. I hadn't been on a bike in 20 years and dealing with clipless pedals was too much when I also had to factor in: getting my balance back, learning the rules of the road, dealing with traffic, etc. For me, it was just more comfortable to absorb things one step at a time.
So I DID go to platforms for awhile. I got some cheap platform pedals at Performance ($9) and used them for a week. Once I was comfortable on the bike and on the road, I switched back to my original clipless pedals and was fine.