I'm a helmet wearer, but my best friend (also a life-long cyclist) vocally disagrees with the wisdom of helmet use.
In brief, he says it's a waste of money and a source of additional danger.
More specific comments he's made are that helmets provide no protection at speeds greater than 10 MPH, and that they add additional risk by causing people to cycle recklessly due to a false sense of security. When I recently took a minor tumble in which the back of my helmeted head bounced on the pavement, he immediately suggested that I throw away the helmet on the basis that any value it might have had before has now been used up.
He insists that he's thoroughly researched these and vaguely related points, but it seems like so much nonsense to me. Is anyone aware of even so much as urban myths that might have led him to these conclusions?
In brief, he says it's a waste of money and a source of additional danger.
More specific comments he's made are that helmets provide no protection at speeds greater than 10 MPH, and that they add additional risk by causing people to cycle recklessly due to a false sense of security. When I recently took a minor tumble in which the back of my helmeted head bounced on the pavement, he immediately suggested that I throw away the helmet on the basis that any value it might have had before has now been used up.
He insists that he's thoroughly researched these and vaguely related points, but it seems like so much nonsense to me. Is anyone aware of even so much as urban myths that might have led him to these conclusions?