huh? I can't comment on the hi-ten business, but you just said you prefer steel because the strength/durability of carbon makes you uneasy, and you regard it as a plastic bike, and theres a whole thread going where you're trying to defend the disadvantages of foot retention. I think you have a skewed view of what truly is a valid point, as you have a tendency to really play up specific/minor/statistically small portions of the larger argument as a whole.

a LARGE majority of any asploded carbon photos i've seen have been the result of a crash, and many of the others have involved trek products, and steer tubes - a known issue. a simple solution to this design flaw is just don't crash, or buy trek stuff.

of course, sometimes crashing is unavoidable. if that's the case, give the bike a solid once over, don't ride it any more than absolutely necessary, and take it to a bike shop that's good with carbon stuff for a look over by a trained professional.

EDIT/addition: Anyway, the possibility of carbon stuff breaking during a crash is certainly something worth noting, but it's not so much relevant to safety as it is to possible cost.