could you explain that? it would never have occurred to me; in fact, so far the times i've wiped out i kind of saw it coming and was actually trying to get clear of the bike once i knew it was out of control. i guess my reflexes figured they could handle my body alone a lot better than they could handle me plus some 30 pounds of bike, and the worst i got was bruises and maybe a cracked bone in one wrist. but so far i haven't had a serious fall at serious speeds, so maybe there's something extra i need to know for when/if i do?

it probably is true that it's better never to have an accident in the first place. but if you do, it sure doesn't hurt to know what might minimize the damage of it. in the software development industry this is known as 'risk mitigation planning'