Originally Posted by Monster Pete

My position has long been that bicycle helmets are not useless in all scenarios. In off-road biking, for example, not only does the loose terrain make falling off more likely, but there are also a lot more things to bash your head on, such as trees and rocks. A helmet would be useful in this situation, and I would likely wear one here to prevent cuts and scrapes should I fall off the bike, just as I did in the snow this winter. The deciding factor here is the level of risk versus level of protection. I felt that in ice and snow that a bicycle helmet would be quite likely to come in useful.

On a tarmac road, however, the risk of minor injuries diminishes. The risk of being flattened by a bus is far higher, but a bicycle helmet won't help you there. Of course, there is always a risk of an accident, resulting in a bump to the head. A bicycle helmet would still give the same level of protection against minor injury, but the chance of it being used here is about the same as the chance of me tripping up when walking- low.

I don't consider the protection of a helmet to be necessary here, so nor do I wear one while cycling. On good roads, my view is that the importance of a bicycle helmet for a competent rider is greatly exaggerated. There seems to be a level of fear ascociated with cycling, that it's a lot more dangerous than it is.