re protec: I wonder what affords the most protection in a car vs. cyclist collision though. I mean, cycling helmets are obviously designed to cushion an impact and totally deform (ie. crush). but, they have less coverage. This is opposed to a "hard" helmet which is designed to withstand multiple impacts and not deform, but has considerably more coverage. Do you know what I mean?

Personally, when I look at my helmet I wonder what help it would be in a collision with the car, unless the car hit me directly on top of the noggin. I guess it protects the "important parts"... but wouldn't you think they're designed more for a cyclist taking a spill by themselves vs. colliding with a car?

Ugh. I'm just getting paranoid now.