Cycle accident and cleats.

[Dogtrousers]

As above, I've always unclipped in a spill.

My worst accident was at relatively low speed with toeclips/straps, and my mate heard me go down and found me unconscious with my feet (or maybe just one foot) still strapped in. (We never figured out why I came off)

 

[slowmotion]

Like @Dogtrousers, all my clipless incidents have been at laughably low speeds. I usually ended up horizontal with the bike still firmly between my legs, giggling and unhurt, fortunately.

 

[HLaB]

Can't like any of the above but agree 100% clips always come out under stress, don't ask me how I know

 

[Winnershsaint]

When I had a coming together with the rear of a car I went over the top on to my shoulder. By all accounts, according to an eyewitness, I was inverted before the bike and I parted company. The bike landed on its tyres and bounced into a small hedge where it came to rest totally undamaged apart from a front wheel shaped like a 'Pringle'. I on the other hand wasn't totally undamaged!

 

[Siclo]

My last unplanned dismount ( a few weeks ago on a brand new bike ) resulted in me lying in the road still clipped in and holding the bars after going over the top of them off to one one side, it took a minute or two of groaning and floundering before I could figure it out.

 

[ianbarton]

My last unplanned dismount ( a few weeks ago on a brand new bike ) resulted in me lying in the road still clipped in and holding the bars after going over the top of them off to one one side, it took a minute or two of groaning and floundering before I could figure it out.

Similar thing happened to me. I was standing up on the pedals going up a hill. Chain jumped off front chain ring and got wedged between two rings. I went straight over the bars and in my effort not to face plant I landed on my left elbow. Right foot was still clipped in and wedged between front wheel and frame.

At first I thought I had broken my elbow, but after a couple of minutes was able to move it OK. Eventually got my right foot unclipped and stood up. was only about three miles from home but the front wheel was bent. I phoned International Rescue, but the she was about ten miles away shopping. I managed to straighten the wheel enough to ride on by levering it between a gate post and the gate. I was about 1km from home when International Rescue appeared. She wasn't impressed when I said I would ride the rest of the way back, rather than load the bike into the truck.

Elbow and shoulder still ache several weeks later.

 

[ManiaMuse]

Crashed going at speed while riding clipless 4 times and every time my feet have ended up seperated from my pedals/bike without me really thinking about it as I was crashing (SPD-SLs, both yellow and red cleats and tension quite high). Couple of those crashes vs cars, one vs tramtracks and the most recent vs a suicidal pedestrian.

They're designed like miniature ski bindings really, if you put enough force on them in any direction suddenly they will release. I'd be more worried about your foot getting trapped and twisting in toe clips/straps tbh.

With slower speed topples they might not unclip automatically though, it does require a bit of force for them to eject.