2.The accident that spawned this thread was extreme to say the least, so should we all be building cages for this extreme or for the much more normal slow speed flops and rolls that we encounter?
Myself, I think building for the extreme is too much over kill for the wheeling I have seen here in WA and UT, but if your going to get into Racing like Pook is doing or like King of the Hammers, then I think the extreme is the correct cage build to go with.
If this is your opinion, you obviously haven't wheeled much in WA or UT. There are many places in WA (primarily eastern WA) that have the potential for extreme multiple roll accidents. Sure, we all see more flops than true rolls but **** happens you need to be prepared for 'worst case', not 'best case'. In Utah, Moab for example, just an everyday simple roll on Potato salad Hill can destroy a good cage. In rock like that rigs don't always stop after the initial roll. They can slide and then roll again. Rock is, obviously, very unforgiving and can do significantly more damage than a similar roll in soft dirt.
Harnesses....hmmm. I'm a bit confused about them. I've got them in both rigs and rarely use them(seat belt -yes, shoulder harness-no). Shoulder harnesses severly limit your ability to see your tire and there are many times that if you couldn't see the obstacle you'd roll and need the harness. Spotters eliminate this issue but I rarely ever use a spotter on the trail. It seems as if when you use them you can't drive as well and need them. Maybe in a buggy with see thru floors this isn't an issue but in a full body rig..