Originally Posted by
StanSeven
He's married with a young child. All it takes is a small accident for the family to all suffer. If you don't like wearing a helmet or its an inconvenience because you forgot it, that's fine. But advocating others to do the same isn't good.
It depends a lot on the ride.
All of my rides currently start at my doorstep... which mean public roads and CARS.
The OP is parking and riding. A bike path? There still is some risk on a bike path, but it is much reduced, especially if speeds are kept reasonable. But, as a "newbie".. the helmet doesn't hurt.
The routine will become more routine over time. My biggest problem is that I'm regularly riding 3 or 4 bikes, so there are always a few changes here or there.
I would encourage trying to find a way for the whole family to ride together. Trailers, Tandems, Tag-a-longs, sto-kids, etc. Bike commuting?