> Here is something that will help you as a cyclist, pedestrian or pretty much anything else except transportation where you're boxed in: learn how to fall. Tak

> Here is something that will help you as a cyclist, pedestrian or pretty much anything else except transportation where you're boxed in: learn how to fall. Take some judo classes and learn how to control how you hit the ground This really helped me out once. I hit a patch of black ice on a badly maintained bike path while going pretty fast. I took off flying while the bike slid along the ground. My training took over, time expanded, and I had what felt like a full minute to rehearse how I would hit the ground. When I landed, I landed on ice and slid about 10 more feet. I got up with mild bruises. The bike was not so lucky --- when I picked it up I saw ball-bearings rolling around on the ground. Then I realized that one of my pedals had been ripped off the crank. Falling is far and away the most useful thing I got from martial arts training. For what it's worth, I was wearing a helmet. It didn't strike the ground. I still wear a helmet.