The article didn't specify whether it was a road(?) or mountain bike, but upon impact, even a mtb bar might swing 90-degrees.
Data points here, a local shop manager apparently lost a section of his intestine on one of my favorite trails when he reportedly was impaled by (I believe) his bike. But then again, maybe it was a branch(?) since I would expect his bike to be in top condition.
I once crashed (simple-but-tumbling front-wheel wash-out) a touring bike while descending a fire road on Mt. Tam, and did somehow take a solid shot to the very top of my inner thigh from a bar end, which left a half-golf ball-size hematoma for several days.
So yes, the plugs are for more than style points!
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