most adults drive
bro just get a bike
sounds like my parents. i bought my OG penny board from a friend and i never looked back. i'm actually pretty thankful i haven't broke my hands or arms yet, or hit my head (knock on wood).
there's something more thrilling than biking when you're skating, since i was a hardcore biker for years until i got a board. i've had my fair share of accidents with my bikes too (hit my head going over the bars) but with skating all you really need is full protection at first. i was dumb and didn't do that, but thankfully i only forgeted up my hands. other than that, i don't think i would ever bike again. living by chicago is sweet because i can hop on a train and just skate the whole city. nothing beats skating around the city looking around places, and doing generally dumb stuff (oncoming traffic by soldier field was a really dumb thing to do but meh)
just my general opinion, it's a hell of a lot more fun when you know you got a board on you just chilling in your car's trunk or in your backpack (if you got a penny like me). just skating whenever is awesome. i'd totally recommend a penny but it's a whole learning curve on it's own. if you really want a penny style deck, go get a nickel. if you want a board THAT bad. start with a 7.5 deck from zumiez (if that's the closest skate shop that your parents will take you) or order all the parts online. since you're a beginner, just go to zumiez. they'll build it at a higher price but at least* they'll build it for you. if your friends are deep into the hobby, let them build it for you. the reason i put the * by least is because zumiez tends to not build their boards totally right.
on my injuries: i swear i haven't broke a single bone yet. the worst was a few nights ago because drunken me thought it would be a great night to cruise my neighborhood. i got about 15-20 feet down and totally fell and rolled onto my left hand while holding my vape.
this stuff burned for weeks and i'm never drukenly skating again. i've drank a few beers on my board before cruising and that's totally fine for me. piss drunk already? don't even attempt.