So growing up never really wore a helmet riding my gt bmx , went through a handful of bikes and never wore any gear. I been through my share of crashes scraped knees elbows , flipped a couple of times due to crazy neighborhood friends getting something caught in my wheels but knock on wood never hurt my head.It was when I started riding trails that I took things seriously and wear a helmet , I wore a lot of gear when I would go to Diablo mountain with friends . I would always see someone there with a broken arm or leg so even though there head was ok I learned something , you can alway fix a broken arm,leg,finger, but if you hit your head hard enough your either a vegi or sometimes dead .bottom line better be safe then sorry cause it doesn't have to be your fault getting into an accident but it's on you to protect your noggin