Road bikes generally have faster steering than most other kinds of bikes. Most mountain bikes and hybrids feel pretty clunky in comparison, and because road bikes accelerate so fast, sometimes you can just accelerate out of bad situations. I don't see why it would be any slower to stop on a road bike than other types. In any potential braking situation, you already should have your hands on the hoods or in the drops anyway. Modern dual pivot brakes provide excellent braking with minimal hand power, even from the hoods. And they are road bikes, not ride-only-on-fluffy-cloud bikes (but I would use at least 25mm tires, maybe 28).