Originally Posted by TexasGuy
I personally have ridden all my life - 14k miles in 2 1/2 years and never had an accident without wearing a helmet. Do i wear a helmet now? Yes because I now ride a road bike and now go 20-25 miles per hour. I used to do 40 mph down a hill on a mOngoose without any fear of wearing a helmet.
In september of last year, I had a crash at about 30km/h, wearing a helmet, where I landed on my chin and slid. 8 nasty stitches, a bad concussion and a big scar later, I'm glad I was wearing a helmet. In this particular crash my head's initial point of contact with the road was my chin, but if I'd landed differently and without a helmet, it could have been a MUCH more serious crash.
There is a guy who rides around in downtown vancouver rush hour traffic with no helmet AND listening to an ipod. I've seen him doing it more than a few times.