What is that saying?
"Discretion is the better part of valor."

During a recent dark a.m. commute, I nearly got taken out twice by cars coming out of side streets - within the span of about 1/4 mile. Just today - in twilight, not even dark - a school bus came out in front of my riding partner (I wasn't with him at the time) and forced him to grab a handful of brakes and make a darting swerve into the street from which the bus had just come.

Yeah...don't think of it as wimp. Think of it as smart. If and when you're ready to take it on, the roads will be there waiting for you. In the meantime, flexible schedules work, too. Don't sweat it.