I have been commuting to work for 30 yrs in New York City. Last year I got rid of failing mountain bike and replaced with a Specialized hybrid which is much faster and lighter. But since then I have had 3 falls triggered by slight touches by a car or other bike resulting in broken thumb and fractured ribs. There is a lot more but traffic recently partly because of Citibike proram and I am certainly older ( 72 ), but I wonder if my new bike is less "stable". So rather than give up riding, which everyone has suggested, my questions are -what is the most stable kind of bike? Is there protective apparel that I can wear?