I don't ride that fast to begin with (I can only pedal with my left leg, so that limits my speed) and I ride in the street the majority of the time. I Will ride on sidewalks in certain areas where the city has crammed three lanes in a space for two, and not left any room for a bike path, however, I always ride slow, and look for pedestrians, and people coming out of driveways. My top speed is about 11mph which I can't sustain for any length of time, so I don't usually fear driveways. If I see a car approaching, I have my hands on the brake levers just in case he/she does not see me.