No Helmet = No Seatbelt!!!

[drcobol]

I have to admit, I'm not a zealot nor do I believe government regulation is the answer. It really is a matter of personal choice and responsibility. Sure, I like to ride sans helmet on occasion but I live in Metro Baltimore and believe me there are some *crazy* drivers around here so any amount of protection outside of airbags and a steel-reinforced safety riding cage is definitely necessary! Of course, there are those that respect the cyclists' use of the road with an occasional honk of the horn and wave to say "I see you and respect your use of the road" but there are some around here that will flip you off and try to get as close to you with the Urban Assault Minivan (R) as to run you off the road. Those are the worse, especially on those two-lane roads with no shoulder and a foot between the white line and a utility pole! I'll step off my soapbox now, but ultimately you have to be the judge and do whatever you feel comfortable with. Just don't forget to think about some of those wildcards with a driver's license out there. Be safe no matter how you choose to ride!

No actually, the only reason not to wear a helmet is because you have a realistic understanding of the miniscule risk of riding a bicycle without one and are willing to take that miniscule risk. Note, I'm not saying that a helmet doesn't provide some amount of protection (the jury's out on how much), I'm just saying that it is a very reasonable decision for an adult to look at the very small risk of riding without one and decide not to bother.

My opinion is that the hysteria about helmet use is causing less bicycle riding (due to the hassle and the mistaken fear) and therefore causing more costly health ill-effects than the risk of injury of riding without helmets.

But I don't think governmental or private helmet zealots look at it this way. They just say "hey, if you hit something, your helmet will protect you", therefore everyone should wear one. OK, but there's a lot of tiny risks of illness and injury that we do not protect ourselves against. Why cycling? It's just stigmatizing it and less people ride.