uninformed? i dont think it takes much knowledge to understand that you hitting something or something hitting you is clearly life threatening.
i do understand and can appreciate how leathers can protect you from road rash - i never questioned this. i enjoy a bit of road cycling myself and i have been, and i have hit a motor vehicle before, so i can appreciate any kind of protective clothing even something as little as gloves go a long long way.
but that wasn't my point.....
my manager has an R1 that he rides to work on everyday and a Gixxer1000 track bike that he takes to EC and Phillip Island, he is a very serious biker who spends alot of the time on the roads. i dont believe he has had a major accident before, that said, another friend was in hospital for months and now has steel pins in his legs - my point is, it only takes 1 hit for it to be a serious one (hence the skydiving analogy) and leathers are not going to protect you from this.