I'm thankful that I have never "laid it down" or crashed in over 30 years of riding, except for 2 kick-stand violations. So I clearly don't know exactly what I'd do if impact was certain. But I wonder WHY bikes get laid down. I know I can't stop any faster than using the friction of two tires on pavement. I don't think I could ever find the courage under pressure to purposely lock the brakes and force the bike to slide on its hard parts - even if I wanted to. And if I had that much time I'd also want to choose whether to go directly into or over the object. When I hear or read " I had to lay it down" - I really hear " I lost control". Except for the movie scene where you need to slide perfectly between the wheels and under a tractor-trailer is there ever a legitimate time for a lay down. Gimme the lowdown.