I usually wear a hat to keep my hair from sticking straight up. I wear a helmet on group rides to save the hassle of dealing with the holier than thou styrofoam wearers. I took a 25 mph crash once. Broke my collar bone, head was untouched. I should have been wearing shoulder pads instead of a helmet.

As many have pointed out. The labeling of a helmet as the polarizing division between safe and unsafe regardless of traffic, speed, or any other variable is ridiculous. Why stop at a helmet? What makes that the definitive risk mitigator? Why not apply helmets to other activities with equal numbers of head injury? If safer is better, why not ride at 10 mph, or walk? I often hear that helmets only provide positive benefits and have no possible detractors. Why not wear a helmet in every situation of life then, since there are absolutely zero detractors, and only benefits, it would make sense that you would never take it off.

I find helmets hot, sweaty, bulky, and annoying to carry around off the bike. If left with the bike it is one more thing to get stolen. I don't believe that they will help in any serious situation (aka hit by a car). I am not in the habit of regularly falling off my bike at low speeds, the situation which they are designed for. I also don't like shelling out $60 for another accessory.

I think risk management has more to it than what you wear on your head. I think that what you wear on your head may actually be one of the smallest contributing factors to bicycle safety. Velocity, traffic, and awareness come to mind as the top 3 contributing factors to the risk of injury while riding a bicycle. The way that people talk about it here, it would seem that helmets are the de facto variable which will kill or save bicycle riders.

Instead of yelling at me and pointing to your noggin, why don't you yell at every cyclist going over 20 mph and chastise them about how much kinetic energy their skull is containing and how dangerous that is versus someone going only 10 mph? Why not yell at every beginner rider that doesn't have great handling skills and is liable to swerve out into traffic. Why not yell at the person who chooses to ride 10 hours a week for fun? They are doubling their risk versus someone who only rides 5 hours a week. That is just plain reckless.