To expound on your bike helmet comment, growing up in the 70s skating, skateboarding, and biking, we didn't have protective gear. We quickly learned to fall and

To expound on your bike helmet comment, growing up in the 70s skating, skateboarding, and biking, we didn't have protective gear. We quickly learned to fall and roll to prevent broken bones. I was rollerblading in NYC streets and Central Park in the dance circle in the early 90s, and watching beginners with protective wrist guards, helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads fall again and again was telling. They relied on their wrist guards and other equipment to prevent injury without learning how to fall. I have friends who take spills at high speed on skateboards, and roll and stand up without more than a few scuffs. I saw people with pads still break their thumbs and sprain their wrists. Sometimes you need a bit of both skill and protective gear, otherwise, you are an accident waiting to happen.