Several times when I first started riding with them (about a year ago) and had a lot of gear on my bike for commuting (positioning wasn't right making the bike top heavy) I stopped at a sign or in a left turn lane and the bike went the opposite way from the way I was standing. I think every time I was able to get my up foot unclipped and managed to stay standing while the bike went down, but I have a couple of nice scars on the insides of my thighs from those incidents.

Oh and holy resurrected thread batman.

Unclipped right foot, caught leaning left - once in a group ride at a stop light when I was first starting out, once in front of a tri dude getting ready to ride at a parking lot.

Slowing to look for cars, decide to go, car whips around corner, decide to stop, can't unclip fast enough - once on a group ride when the leader said "Clear! Wait, stop!", twice at the end of my drive way.

Embarrassing to say the least.

No, I haven't. I've come close a couple of times, and I had a small crash once that had nothing to do with the pedals, nor did the pedals have any effect on the minor scrapes I sustained in that crash. And that's in over 20 years of using them.

Fell twice, one with the club on my 1st outing, I rode the streets for an hour a few days before to practice stopping and getting my shoe out of the clip.
We were racing and the group leader decided all of a sudden to stop and wait for the rest of the group, I thought it was a good idea; I needed to catch my breath and drink some water. Then this idea came to me as I was straight up with both feet clipped in and standing still. ****ttttttttt. Like a toy solder falling over in the grass. How embarrassing, I had some good bruises on the inside of both legs to prove it.
The second time I was in a big rush to pick up my glasses at a friend place before dark and I rode up the driveway and went to a one leg over the back dismount, shock! It’s clipped in, over I went without setting off their car alarm.
Monday, it was not intended, I was riding on packed fine gravel to get to the end of a pier to see where I launch my Kayak. Just then I lost my steering and looked down and crap, it turned to very loose sand; panic set in, steer, lean right, watch out for the ditch, get a leg out steer left, more sand, get ready we are going down! Phew! Saved at the last second just as I was falling over and me arse from the prickly bushes in the ditch. Have a sore leg from twisting though.
I am 50 and should be asking a 5 year old how to ride a bike, seem strange.

Heh.. I never do a one leg over the back dismount on my carbon bike or on any bike anymore. I've gotten into the habit of unclipping one foot as I slow down, getting off the saddle to put one foot down as I slow to a stop and then unclipping my other foot once I've come to a full stop. It seemed to be the only reasonable way to ride with clipless pedals.

Sheldon Brown describes it this way: https://sheldonbrown.com/starting.html
What I wasn't aware of before I read his article was this:

"
Some Wrong Ways:


The Cowboy Mount is popular among cyclists who learned to ride on a bicycle that was too large for them. Indeed, this is the only way to get started on a bike that is seriously too tall for the rider. This dubious technique involves standing next to the bike, putting one foot on a pedal, then swinging the other leg over the saddle while the bicycle is in motion.

• The cowboy mount places the rider's weight on the bicycle while it is leaning over at a sharp angle. This puts considerable lateral stress on the frame and the wheels. Bicycle wheels, in particular, are not designed to withstand serious sideways stresses, and this poor mounting technique is very hard on your wheels."

At mile 80 of this summer's NYC->Philly century. We stop at a convenience store. Tired, I forget to clip out, and fall with my left hand extended, straight into the spokes of my friend's rear wheel. It was so out of true it wasn't even funny. We were losing light so they refueled on food and drink while I retrued that wheel as fast as I could. I've never felt so guilty...

Interesting that with all these stories of what can , and does, go wrong with riding in clips that mature people who should know better still ride with the damn things.

IMO there are safer pedals ,i.e. bmx & platform pedals, that will get you there with way less risk of falling or other injury.

I have fallen while clipped in.

Not in any way due to the clips, but because of my Ischemic heart disease . Shame on me

There may be advantages that outway the risk.

There are other risks with pedals. Have you ever been chopped by a meat tenderizer type BMX pedal? Have you ever lost your footing while going over a jump with platforms?

There are many reasons why for many different things. We all do what we will.

If one is simply geographically destination bound, your thoughts have some merit, but there are other reasons for riding. Even if one is destination bound, there may be times when flat pedals simply aren't as effective. Everyday on my commute home, I must ride a quarter+ mile 12 to 17% grade hill or walk it. I'd rather ride, and I've tried it both ways - clipped in and on flat pedals. Being clipped in is about the only way I can make it up that hill. As Maddmaxx said, "There are many reasons why for many different things..."

I think this poll put the jinx on me.... I answered "NO" just a few days ago and low & behold fell this morning. Thanks, thanks a lot!!!!!! But hey, at least I have that first one behind me now.

Yes, numerous times. Sometimes with warning and sometimes without warning.

I have fallen a few times, but usually my fault. I converted to clipless on one side and platform on the other, which works great for me in stop and go city traffic.

Remembering that this is the 50+ section I find your post to be off topic since it is aimed at a much younger crowd.

Geezers do some dumb things to be sure but I have a hard time visualizing them doing bmx jumps!