Have any of you ever been legitimately saved by back/spine protection? I want to be motivated to wear it.

Basically, scare me into wearing armour this coming season please. I'm going to be riding a full DH this year so will be upping the risk a bit. I ride a lot in the dead of Summer where some days it's extremely hot even with lift access, and I want to have that nag in the back of my head to wear a vest/jacket.

Sidenote: Where are we with neck braces, I see fewer people wearing them nowadays, has the thinking changed on them?

Edit: It just occurred to me that I've only ever ended up in hospital from road bike accident and I literally just wear a cycling helmet and gloves while riding with traffic at 35kph lol. I should maybe re-evaluate my risk there too. Something about DH that makes me think about crippling injuries but road riding can put you in same pile of shit.