The plastic stays on my wristguards probably saved me a ton of pain when rollerblading as a kid. Hit a tiny asphalt stone at high speed going down a hill; the guards saved my wrists when I instinctively took the fall on them. I'll never forget the sound of the guards scraping down the street, and how bad it would have been without them.
1: https://www.rei.com/product/875825/dakine-wrist-guards