Originally Posted by
desconhecido
The problem is that when someone has a crash and then ends up under water, reason and logic vanish with the first swallow/breath of water. People who are in danger of drowning often panic violently and irrationally. Trying to logically and reasonably figure out why you can't get upright in three feet of water when you've already aspirated and are probably disoriented from the crash -- it's tough. That's why water boarding works.
Yes, I'm very familiar with that phenomenon, but as this case proves there's a decent chance of escape either by yourself or with help from onlookers when you fall into water. OTOH dropping 4-6 feet onto rocks is much less forgiving.
It's still a matter of riding in control, and a governmental/policy decision about what kind of safety net (guard rail) is called for. Knowing how some people ride on MUPs over here, I wonder if a water hazard might be a fitting solution.
Toe clips, clipless, no clips are all secondary issues (or lower than that). You don't make bike riding decisions based on the off chance that you'll fall into the drink.