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There are a lot of differences of opinion on this.
You definitely want to put high-density SFI padding (not the nerf stuff) on the cage anywhere your head might travel in an accident.
Britain's cage looks great, with only one thing that I wouldn't do. There is no way I'd put a cross knee bar in there unless your sitting position means your knees are down below it at all times (which is not the case in my car). That bar will make for some very ugly knee and leg fractures in an accident.
The positives of a cage are usually overlooked in these discussions. Having one significantly increases your car's ability to withstand a side impact or a rollover. That's huge.
Look at the pictures some time from SWBSAM's impact with a stone wall.
On the negative side, a cage reduces some of the car's ability to crumple (and absorb energy) in a crash, especially if the cage extends beyond the cabin to the suspension points. This increases the likelihood of whiplash-type injuries.
And as is often pointed out, a cage also brings big steel bars into the vicinity of your head.
But there are a lot of goofy (and scary) realities of cars in crashes when the cars are kept stock. Guys who make a big fuss over SFI high-density padding on cages often forget about the folded steel edge of the roof near the driver's head in a stock car that's protected by... a vinyl headliner. The A- and B-pillars are also hard steel, just waiting to crack some bone.
It's a shame the way legislation forces the auto industry to be very good about 2.5-mph impacts, but not be so good about toxic gasses produced by car fires or particularly meaningful cabin safety and side-impact protection. Airbags are finally addressing some of this, but most of our cars don't have airbags.
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