&gt; Here is something that will help you as a cyclist, pedestrian or pretty much anything else except transportation where you&#x27;re boxed in: learn how to fall. Take some judo classes and learn how to control how you hit the ground<p>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.<p>For what it&#x27;s worth, I was wearing a helmet.  It didn&#x27;t strike the ground.  I still wear a helmet.