Is there a correct way to fall?

[VeloVT]

One thing that I read here about a year ago is that, somewhat counter-intuitively, you should NOT let go of your handlebars. Hold on to them and tuck in your elbows and chin, and you will be less likely to break something. I am really bad at searching for threads but I'll bet you could find this one if you searched for it, it was about "the right way to fall."

I consciously followed this advice once last winter when my bike went right out from under me on ice (this was before I realized that you need to treat braking on ice on a bike about the same way you need to treat braking on ice in a car, i.e., you need to slow down way before you might need to stop because there's no guarantee you'll be able to stop when you do need to), and all I had to show from a pretty hard fall was a bruise on my hip and (sadly!) a scratched STI lever.

Edit: Mimi posted at the same time I did and I realized that this advice (don't let go of your handlebars), is GOOD advice but may at times have limited range of applicability (probably doesn't work so well for high-speed crashes or car collisions). But the principle still applies I guess.