Originally Posted by ngateguy
Like everything out there they do not stop all injuries but your chances of walking away from a serious accident increase substantially with a helmet.
I guess we define 'serious accident' differently then. I've had quite a few crashes where the helmet did it's job, but I wouldn't consider any of them serious, even though on one occasion I had to pay a visit to the hospital to get checked over after a particularly severe impact.
In a truly serious 'accident', your head isn't the only thing you've got to worry about, and damage to the head isn't the only thing that will kill you.
All I'm saying is, wear a helmet if you wish, but at least have some idea of the level of protection they afford. My observation is that most people, including the people marketing the things, grossly overestimate their protective abilities.
In other words: Wear one, but ride as if you aren't.