BTW, I noticed the pictures of helmets in this thread are the light weight road bike style helmets with lots of ventilation and some (like the Schwinn) have just a thin foil plastic covering. You might want to reconsider those style helmets. In a fall caused by hitting a pot hole or curb, they are fine. Being hit by a car, those helmets break apart after the initial impact (and there are usually multiple impacts in that type of accident) leaving the head unprotected. A study I read online indicated that helmets with high ventilation provide the least protection, where extreme sports helmets like the black one I have pictured provide the maximum protection. I don't feel my helmet is hot, although that is often a complaint. The study also noted that those speedy looking helmets actually have more drag due to the irregular surface than a plain old smooth BMX helmet.

The Lazer 02 helmet is a good example of a manufacturer adding reinforcement inside the foam to "prevent the helmet from breaking apart on fist impact". This helmet typically sells for $100 in size Large. So if you want a road bike helmet that will stay together, its gonna cost about 5 times the price of a BMX helmet and probably not protect as well. And make no mistake, that Lazer 02 is a mighty fine helmet. A good Commuter/bmx/Multi-sport helmet can be had for as little as $25. And they come in bright colors now, not just flat black. In fact I was thinking of buying a new one in white or bright red. That Bell helmet I use is probably 8 years old now. Cost $50 now, I probably paid about $15 for it back then. There are lots of knock offs and copycat Bell helmets out there now with improvements.