EPS doesn't distribute a load, it compresses upon pressure. This compression can force the cells to spilt resulting in a split helmet.

The shell is there for a couple of reasons. One is to provide a mold into which the eps can be injected and another is to provide a sliding surface over the eps because eps splits apart if rubbed against a rough surface such as a road. Yet another reason for having a shell is to hold the split eps together after it splits.

The older helmets were better, and safer, but the newer ones are lighter and offer more variation of design.

I don't want to put words in JJs mouth, but where I see a problem with the quite is that those types of collisions don't happen to everyone. Believe it or not a person can ride a bike sans-collision for an entire lifetime with little difficulty