We are inundated with advice....tire reviews, tips on smart riding, offers of puncture proof tires....not to mention whatever native common sense we're born with and experiential knowledge we've gained. Ultimately, if we steer our bike through a patch of glass, even if we are distracted and don't see it, the flat remains our flat. If people choose to come out and save us-- then how sweet they are. But should people be required to save us from our own bad choice? And knowing that we'll inevitably be saved, won't that encourage us to ride through glass again, and yet again. And besides, shouldn't we be also protected from broken chains, not bringing a frame pump, forgetting our helmet? What about pads to protect us from road rash? Or cycling speed limits? Perhaps we should be banned from any road deemed "risky".

And so on.

What may seem compassionate help may really be even greater folly than, what was it (?), riding through glass.