an accident, not ALL accidents. Always increase chance of an accident not always causes them. I only clarified the explanation to make it clearer, not to change the meaning.
if you don't understand the distinction there's not much point discussing further.
and on topic I'd always choose a road bike
I have a kona paddy waggon fixed with mudguards and rack.
For the OP, i'd buy a set of Scwalbe Marathon Plus in 559 and try it with whatever rucksck you already have. (I have yet to puncture them on the tandem or airnimal).
Then after two months, you will know what you need.
Road bike vs. mtb is moot for your distance, but i suspect that you will end up with a second bike eventually 
Hi mate I would get a good jacket, and ome sort of buff for your face throat. Riding in the winter like last year this year is very cold!! Get a hump for your pack it's high vis and water proof. You ll see peopl in yellow jacket with a black pack on!
Bike wise go slicks but if you can at all get a commuting bike you'll trash your main bike with the extra miles and road salt grit. Plus it will have to sit and fester in the day and night you dint want to be washing it every day.
It's hard work but the difference to your fitness is huge, just remember to mix the pace and route as much as you can to seethe benefits.
I do a hilly 9 mile ish each way commute most days on my hardtail. The only change I made was a cheap set of wheels and put some slicks on them, It makes it much easier and faster. I'm sure a dedicated road bike would be a bit better but I didn't think there was much point just for commuting.
I haven't noticed excessive pad wear and the discs and slicks combo is pretty good!
For carrying stuff I just use a rucksack as I can shower and change at work. I have never really bothered with mud guards either but I'm sure they would be useful on some of the lanes.
I think the main reasons I use my mtb is that I find it very comfy, I know how it handles and it has saved me a lot of cash over buying a new bike!
I ride a 15mile commute and depending on if i want to get to work fast or have a leisurely woodland pootle i use the road bike or mountain bike.
Can someone explain Mrmo's posts please cos it don't make a lot of sense to me fanks.
Well, for getting about in a busy congested area, I've found the perfect bike is a Hybrid. Larger wheels with narrow-ish tyres (700x38c) give a good compromise between speed and comfort, and also help slow you down quicker than very skinny slick tyres. You can also get tyres with a bit of tread on which helps on looser surfaces such as towpaths and that. The more upright position gives you better visibility of what's around you, and mtb bars give better control than drops. As for speed; here in London, you're not going to be doing more than 12mph or so average cos there's too many junctions, traffic lights etc so all those fastards on racers just end up sprinting between sets of lights and not actually going all that faster over a distance at all.
I've found singlespeed to be fine cos it's flat here more or less, and less stuff to go wrong is better. Drivetrains get filthy with all the crap on the roads, so not having to clean out derailleurs and cassettes is as bonus. I just wipe my chain down occasionally and then replace it when it's worn. No shifters and cables to get clogged up with muck either. 38:16t ratio is ideal for me; good balance as it's not too low and not so high pedalling when laden with shopping or when I'm tired or there's a hill is too much. Can get up Haverstock Hill ok without dying.
V-brakes work fine, set them up propply, use decent pads and look after them. Far better than road calipers.
Rack and mudguard mounts are very useful.
Oh, and if you're gonna lock it up, then tatty is best. Let the thieves target the shiny new bike next to it instead...
elfinsafety, i will try and explain from years of crashing, going slowly you hit the ground vertically hard. add a bit more horizontal speed into it and you slide a bit more, so you can scrub the energy off better. It hurts granted. There is also details, a bit of speed allows you to "float" the bike across rough roads and potholes better than going slowly and crashing through which cuts down on punctures and breakages.
What you need to do is pay attention to your surroundings and take control, i have to say most crashes i have seen over the years where other vehicles are involved are due to stupidity not speed, be it fast or slow. I have seen cyclists jump lights and get hit, i have seen cyclists get caught by railings trying to undertake buses and lorries. I have known people hit lamp-posts by not paying attention to the pedestrians in the area. Other cases have been cyclists hiding in the gutter which allows drivers to force their way past and then be surprised when they turn across them.
Infact thinking about it the faster you go there will be less chance of a car trying some of the more stupid overtaking manoeuvres. there are roads that if i do at 10mph i will be overtaken if i do 25 then cars give more space, ie safer.
Speed has never been a factor it has been awareness of the surroundings.
mrmo - increasing speed increase your chance of accidents as reacting to things takes more distance. Crashing at higher speeds means more energy to got rid of = more likelihood of injury.
the vertical component is the same, the horizontal greater.
TJ, more speed does not mean more chance of accidents, more speed means you hold up traffic less which means less stupid overtaking from cars. Gain some loose some.
And yes the vertical component of the impact is the same but the horizontal component allows you to loose the energy over a greater area.
Taking it to a stupid level, gliders don't crash even though they are "falling" from thousands of feet. It is about how you loose the energy.
As someone who has some awareness of motorbikes i would have thought you would be aware that crashing at 100mph is perfectly survivable as long as you don't hit a wall in the process. So to say that speed is going to increase the injury isn't actually true, what matters is what you do as you go down. Put your arm out break your collar bone, roll and you'll loose some skin but be ok.
You are confusing risk with cause. The risk increases in both situations.
In the case of the fall - at high speed you still have the vertical fall which you say breaks bones in a low speed accident, at higher speeds you also have a large vertical component. More energy to be lost = higher risk of injury.
As regards higher speeds = greater RISK of accidents of course it does as you cover more distance in the time you react to incidents. Hitting potholes and stuff will cause a greater reaction in the bike as the enregy is more
Mrmo, it's still not really making much sense tbh. I can sort of see what you're trying to get at, but I think you are wrong. In my extensive experience of cycle commuting in urban areas, increased speed leads to greater risks, and the consequences of crashing at high speeds are a lot greater. Believe me. You talk about sliding? Yeah, taking skin off, sliding into the path of other traffic, etc. Plus, if you hit something, the faster you are going, the greater the impact. Symple Fizziks. Squeak.
Sorry but you are wrong and TJ will explain why. Valiant attempt though.
Elfinsafety i think the crux is "urban areas" I live in Gloucestershire and commute between Cheltenham and Evesham, which means some urban, some minor rural and some major A roads. Most crashes tend to be on back roads where i have misjudged a corner, either ice diesel or gravel. In the urban areas crashes are far more unusual because you anticipate what is going on around you and to be fair force the traffic to do what you want. It is usually obvious when a driver is going to pull out on you, look for there eyes, if you can't see them assume they haven't seen you.
I would also say that London is atypical, the way drivers, cyclists and pedestrians behave is not the same as in most of the UK.
TJ higher speeds do not mean greater risk, there is a risk, but such is life,
oed
If your going to be that concerned about risk i guess you should never go home.
as for pot holes, use your eyes and pay attention, very rarely do they just appear, if your commuting your using the same roads and you will know which sections of road are failing. i can tell you where on my route is going to be an issue come the winter and where to keep away from the kerb as the road edge crumbles. Do not ride in the gutter, do not ride through puddles etc, basic road sense. Like i said earlier pay attention on bus lanes because they are always covered in diesel and after some rain are like skating rinks.
As i said earlier the issue is using your head and controlling your space, it is not about travelling slowly and pissing off drivers causing them to do stupid things, ie increasing risk.
you're assuming that those of us talking about risk ride slowly. jeez I used to courier in London which gives you a good feel for speed/risk/benefit balance. some things have minimal increase in risk for extra speed so you choose to take that risk. others just aren't worth it.
if you understand risk you can decide how to respond to it. it doesn't mean you try to avoid it all.
if you ride faster then your relative overall risk of having an accident increases. you can accept that risk and maybe try to mitigate it (maybe with grippier tyres, better brakes etc) or you can just try and convince yourself that riding faster has no effect on risk.
I would also say that London is atypical
I have rided my bikikle in London, New York, Melbourne, Oslo and Truro, amongst other places, and drivers and peds are pretty much the same everywhere, and post the same risks/problems to a cyclist.
Most crashes tend to be on back roads where i have misjudged a corner, either ice diesel or gravel.
So lack of anticipation of potential road conditions, then...
In the urban areas crashes are far more unusual because you anticipate what is going on around you
Cos of course we don't get ice, diesel or gravel on the roads, oh no....
In London, you might well encounter Vanilla Ice or Vin Diesel crossing a road, and if you are in the area near the High Courts and the Old Bailey, you might find plenty of gavels littering the roads...
TJ higher speeds do not mean greater risk
Testicles. The faster you go, the greater the chance of getting properly mash up an bash up an ting pon you is head dat.
jeez I used to courier in London which gives you a good feel for speed/risk/benefit balance. some things have minimal increase in risk for extra speed so you choose to take that risk. others just aren't worth it.
Clubber is actually right here.
Today right, I rode to the pub for lunch. Wet roads. Faster speeds definitely carry greater risks of injury in such conditions; ask the bloke who stacked it by Westferry Station just a few minutes ago; he'll tell you he probbly woon't have crashed had he bin going a bit slower. 
For me its simple...only one bike (mountain) and I need to do daily commute plus weekend offroad but I cant be arsed changing tyres so I ride either small block 8's, Panaracer Razors or Larsen TT's and TBH I don't find it much of an issue plus it means I can prat around at lunch times at the local park on jumps etc. I guess the trade off is running through tyres more often than a weekend warrior.
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