please, I ride for a living, ive been in accidents, ive crashed, ive seen helmets not help, ive also seen them help, its personal choice, and in the US its largely culturally motivated all other arguments aside
last TT I did I avg'd 26.4 mph for an hour(that was about 3 weeks ago), I dont think riding slow is one my problems, get it good shape, ride lots, and lycra/chamois becomes a waste of $$