For those of you who commute to work/school on a semi-regular basis, how many have adjusted your route for the sake of safety, and what has it added in terms of distance/time compared to the most efficient route?

I'm in the current predicament of mapping out my upcoming route from afar.

I'm moving to Lexington, KY in July to attend UK Law School in the Fall. For those familiar with the area, my apartment is between Harrodsburg Rd and Man'o'war out past New Circle (Beaumont Center). For those not familiar, this translates into an efficient distance of five miles. That assumes I hit the main arteries and put myself in the midst of downtown traffic.

I've been playing around with MapMyRide.com and came up with a route that seems relatively safe based on my general traffic experience in Lex. It adds just over half a mile to the efficient route, but there are several more turns, so I'm sure I'll add several minutes. Not a big deal, in my opinion.

Who else has had to do this? I'm disregarding those who do it just for scenery--I'm sure I'll do that occasionally myself. But this is more of a practical discussion.