>>>I remember that I had kind of missed the pedal and was a bit distracted getting my foot in the right place.<<<<

tx, you bring up a good point. I ride with old-fashioned mountain bike toe cages on my pedals. I've tried riding without them, but after so many years, it just feels like I'm riding naked. However, the few times I've come close to an "oh sh-t!" situation have always involved missing the cage when starting up at an intersection. Given that it only takes a second to put yourself in a dangerous situation, I wonder if, maybe, these clunky things on my pedals are a bad idea for anything but mountain biking.