[mostlyskeptical]

Absolutely. How else can an activity like Riding dirt bikes, with a near 100% injury rate for even casual riders wearing full safety gear, be popular?

So many things in our society are overly sanitized to the point that we have an almost complete mental aversion to the idea that some things can be unavoidably dangerous and will still be beneficial (or at least that we should be allowed to do them because we want to, because we are free human beings).

Back on topic, after riding a dirt bike I just feel... Alive? For days afterwards I feel like a complete human. It makes the injuries worth it.

A good book on the subject is Foolproof: how safety can be dangerous and danger makes us safe -- Greg IP