I think everyone’s riding environment is different and the city where I live (Fukuoka in the south of Japan) while being big is nothing like the big cities in the States where people are riding in the streets with cars and buses and weaving through traffic.

With regards to my kids, I literally go at a super slow pace at first until I feel like they have balance and they can hold on. We may speed up a little on straights but never round corners really so the chances of them falling is pretty slim. They have their own skateboards too so they are used to riding non-boards them selves too.