Now that's rich!!

Post Script: Not quite as OK as I has assumed at first. I landed on my shoulder and can deal with the lost skin down my right side but I can't use my right arm. It improved today so I'm not worried but that fall freaked me out badly; I need to get back on as soon as possible.

I have a Garmin 500 (no maps). I have my display settings so I can quickly scroll through the screens and have my basic ride data on the main page (screen 1): current speed, cadence, and HR. The other screens are only viewed occasionally: distance, ride time, elevation gain, max speed, average speed, and current time (clock). If you have too much stuff on each screen, the numbers can be small and hard to read at a glance.

Garmins can display so much information that it can be distracting if you want to read it while riding. I want Current speed- Hr- Cadence-Distance travelled- Current time-Average speed and Height gained displayed. But that is so distracting that I use the 2nd bike and on that I just have HR and current speed. This means that I can ride showing those two items and when I stop I can push a button to see what the rest are. It still records all this data when I download it so Nothing is lost and I don't get distracted.

My Garmin Edge 800 displays everything I want (speed, cadence, distance, calories, heart rate, ride duration) without scrolling between screens. I never touch it when I start riding. I forgot to bring my Garmin on the ride today. My Cateye Strada only displayed speed and average speed. I didn't touch it to see the other data because I didn't want to be distracted while riding.

From my perspective the Garmin is much safer than a cycle-computer.

Does anybody drive their car without viewing their speedometer? I believe glancing at my Garmin is quite similar to viewing information on the dash in my car.

A car is much more stable than a bicycle. 4 versus 2 wheels.

And capable of much more damage. I don't find that glances at my Garmin prevent me from monitoring upcoming conditions/potential obstacles. Certainly nothing compared with riding behind another cyclist.

When I rode motorcycles, I found my speedometer useful.