Going clipless is always a bit daunting for a new rider. The impression is one of confinement, when the reality is that you're barely, but effectively, attached to your pedals. A simple flick of the heel, like Dorothy did to go home to Kansas, will get you out. As far as the fear of falling over - it can, and most likely will happen - ONCE. Of all the accidents you can have on a bike, falling over at a complete stop is the least damaging, except to your pride, of course, because it never fails that you'll do it in front of everyone!

As a road biker, my priority in pedals is to have the largest footbed possible. I will be attached for hours at a time, and pedals with smaller connection points (Shimano SPDs, for instance) start to "drill holes" in the bottom of my feet. I tried several designs before settling on Look KEOs. The KEO design has a smaller, thinner cleat that doesn't stick out the sides of my shoes the way traditional Looks do. It gives me a large enough footbed to ride comfortably.

SpeedPlays are also a popular choice in my area. My only complaint with them was the cleat collected a lot of debris when walking around, and then wouldn't clip in until they were cleaned.

Whatever design you prefer, please expect to change your cleats at least once a year. They are meant to be disposable. And as they wear, it gets more difficult to clip in and out. I don't use cleat covers (because I don't want to use up valuable pocket space to carry them) so my cleats wear out about twice a year. But I ride about 3,500 miles a year, so you may have different results.