Because my concern has always been the rope accidently getting sliced in 1/2 by a bad pick placement of a ice pick or - a couple of foolish crampon steps onto the rope in error thus damaging it pretty well.
As quite a few others have said in this thread, and many threads like it, this really doesn't happen. I've had hundreds of first time clients (some who may have never swung a hammer) and never have they hit the rope while seconding.
I've kicked the rope while leading more than a few times. No damage.
Monday I stepped on the stacked rope to compress it a bit into the snow so it wouldn't slide off the belay ledge... client looked a bit concerned.
1) My crampons are quite dull
and
2) Tests show when a rope is on snow it is impossible to cut it with crampons
I was pushing lightly to compress the stack, I wouldn't recommend doing a rain dance on it...
These things are made to handle the situations you are describing...