Originally Posted by Tightwad
THE reason I do NOT like clips. You all to often can't get away
from the damn things in an emergency. What would have happened
if that dog had been a car instead?? Would we be reading your obituary?
Clips make as much sense as a seatbelt does on a bicycle. If you're racing
they are fine but for everyday in traffic they are......dumb.
Say what you will a good set of platforms are safer anyday.
This seems to be a minority opinion. I certainly don't share it. I've never been unable to get my feet out of clipless pedals in an emergency, but I have had my feet come off platforms at inoportune times with painful results. Clips and straps are the hardest to get out of in a hurry, but I use them on one of my bikes.
Clipless pedals do have a learning curve. Problems are most likely to happen in the first few months of using them. From the description of the accident in the OP, it sounds like operator error more than a problem with clipless pedals. I'm not sure why he was trying to unclip while skidding to a stop or why he would unclip before skidding. You need to be in firm contact with the pedals while skidding.