I don't see where it is a safety issue. If you don't have clipless pedals you will not have the classic clipless pedal but forgot to unclip fall. I suppose if you did that in traffic you could end up under the wheels of a motor vehicle but by themselves I have never seen someone get injured by them. Once you get in the habit of unclipping, which you should do before commuting with clipless pedals, it won't be a problem. I ride clipless pedals exclusively on my recreational bike in all kinds of traffic conditions. I have platform pedals with plastic toe "clips" on my commuter which keep my feet where I want them fore and aft on the pedals well enough that I have never slipped off. My commuter is a folder which I use to bridge the gaps between a train line and my home and work so I ride it only about 8 miles total in a workday and those on quiet residential streets. At that level of riding I don't want to deal with clipless pedals because I just don't want to be bothered with bike shoes. At my previous job I would occasionally ride the 52 mile round trip on my other bike and keep a change of shoes in the trunk bag but for several reasons that is not an option now, the distance being much farther for one. I think there are reasons to prefer one kind of a pedal over another for commuting but they are detailed, personal reasons, not broad, general reasons like safety.