I've never hit my head in a cycling wreck, but just a week ago, this past Monday, I tripped over my dog that darted in front of me, fell and hit my head on the

I've never hit my head in a cycling wreck, but just a week ago, this past Monday, I tripped over my dog that darted in front of me, fell and hit my head on the hardwood floors in our living room. No concussion, but did require 3 or 4 stiches over an eye. Even in a fall like that, had I been wearing a bike helmet, it wouldnt have offered any protection. Like I said, as an adult, I believe in helmets and religiously wear them while riding since I was about 20 (now 38). Likewise, I said I was incredibly lucky. When I got hit by the car, by all rights, I should have slammed my head on the ground, but didn't. Not a dent or scratch on my helmet. After getting hit, I saw ground, sky then ground again before impact and my bike landed on the opposite side of the Street's sidewalk. Trashed about a $3500 carbon race bike and faced close to $40k in medical bills between ambulance and ER treatment (this was in the US in 2008). I never saw a bill, though because I wasn't at fault as the guy that hit me ran a stop sign and his insurance immediately accepted fault. The most frequent pieces of gear I've trashed during accidents: gloves and shorts. Neither hold up well to sliding across dirt roads or asphalt.