Originally Posted by 63rickert

You're thinking of one accident scenario and I'm thinking of another. I described my scenario. A boxed-in accident where no sliding across acres of open pavement is going to happen. In which case the best course of action is to step off the bike. It is possible to just step off the back of a bike. In the dream case you land on your feet and just walk away. More likely you fall, it's a low fall and not a horrible one, even with complete lack of judo and stuntman training. Instead of dreaming dreams about flying through space head on consider the possibility of stepping off the bike. Also consider that every accident or incident is not alike and one response does not fit all.

Considerable discussion here of catapulting. It occurred to me that I have witnessed riders catapulting upwards and have also witnessed riders catapulting on a flat trajectory, never getting higher than the 'bars they just went over. Then it occurred to me I'd seen both my wife and my brother do just that. So I asked them. They had the same answer, quickly and without thinking about it. As soon as it is clear that an over the bars accident is happening start to dive. You don't want to go up. So dive. Personally have never done that and would have guessed OTB is nothing but physics and the rider gets to do nothing about it. But I was wrong. Two riders quite near to me and they both know what to do and have done it.

Many accidents will occur where the rider has no agency. Has no chance of doing anything. If you make up your mind in advance that you can't ever do anything you won't. And then all accidents will just come out of the blue.

Have said it before. Number one accident I see is caused by not watching the road. Get off the phone. Get off the Garmin. Review all the data when you get home. Have none of this electronica on the handlebars. Phone stowed securely for emergency use. And turned off while riding.