Here is something that <i>will</i> 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, that&#x27;s <i>everything</i> there is to it short of blunt impact against a lamp post or something like that. If you can roll with a fall rather than simply absorbing the energy with impact or abrasion then you&#x27;re much more likely to walk away from an accident either entirely unharmed or maybe with some minor injuries. It always surprises me how terribly bad people are at something as basic as falling, which we all do at least several times in our lives and which when handled badly can cause injury or death. Falling with some grace is a very important skill to have.<p>Also: when you&#x27;re older your bones will take much less abuse before they break than when you&#x27;re younger so be more careful when you get older.<p>Helmets on bikes: if it makes you feel better: wear one. Don&#x27;t make them compulsory because the statistics are not clear-cut that wearing a helmet is a good thing in more than 50% of the cases. For kids, probably better, if you&#x27;re in-experienced or insecure, probably better. If you&#x27;re an adult, know your bike and you&#x27;re not going for some kind of record you should have the option to cycle without.