Having recently landed in the emergency room, and given the number of times I was asked, "Were you wearing a helmet?" (even though it wasn't particularly relevant to anything they were doing at the time), or heard someone say to someone else "Yeah, he was wearing a helmet," I got the distinct impression that they would have taken me less seriously, or treated me less seriously, if I had not been wearing one. Friends have also asked, and I bet I would have gotten a scolding or two, or at least censorious looks. I would have been branded "irresponsible cyclist," no matter the actual circumstances of the accident, so I get the impulse to maintain appearances due to social pressure.

As an aside, I discovered a small crack inside my helmet. I don't think I hit my head (more like my face). The crack may be unrelated, or who knows, maybe the helmet did its job.