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@kilgore_trout
i wouldn't call myself a newbie.
when i first got a track bike it's original intention was only for use on a velodrome (no brakes), but then i decided to use it on the street and my plans for buying a brake off my friend fell through (weak excuse, i know) and i was too lazy to go get one myself.
i've ridden brakeless in nyc, boston, philly, and new haven (mostly boston and nyc though). i've done just normal cruising around, as well as brainless, balls out, aggressive as fuck alleycat racing. i've NEVER gotten into an accident during an alleycat that was a result of being brakeless (knock on wood). the few spills i've taken which 'could' be attributed to being brakeless have usually been the result of slick pavement, and one could argue that the conditions were such that i wouldn't have been able to stop in time with a front and/or rear brake before (say) slamming into the back of a cab that stopped suddenly. i ride brakeless in the above cities because i feel confident without a brake. i don't ride around london or oxford brakeless because i don't feel comfortable on the bike i temporarily have, and because i'm very foreign to these cities.
EDIT: that being said, i wouldn't advocate going brakeless unless you do feel comfortable and are willing to except the risk involved.