Err, in fact Doc, riders wearing helmets are considered to be "experts" by drivers who give them less room on the road!

You shouldn't change your riding behavior when you wear a helmet but indeed it is only human nature. I'm sure that you're familiar with the fact that antilock brakes didn't change the accident rates as had been predicted by all of the "safety experts". People simply compensated for their "improved" braking by driving faster and antilock brakes actually make NO difference in the braking ability of a car on clean dry pavement. Therefore exactly the opposite occured from the prediction - accidents actually went up on vehicle with antilock.

This is called the Theory of Risk Compensation. And it appears to be the case with bicycle helmets as well. IF bicycle helmets provide any protection it is MORE than neutralized by the insane stunts bicyclists do now. I'm sure you've heard riders say - "I'd NEVER try that stunt without my helmet!"

Helmets now weigh a great deal less than they did in the early 90's. Of course at that time they also had hard shells and provided penetration protection which the modern helmets do not. And they had softer more linear foam because there were fewer vent holes.

Of course even though I had raced motorcycles in the desert for years and had very strong neck muscles the position on a bicycle is much difference and these helmets caused intense neck pain and obviously I wasn't the only one since no one would use them.

Modern helmets have increased the number of vents because tests showed the there was a LARGE increase in head skin temperatures during low speed hard workout such as climbing (though the one scientific test on the subject which was sponsored by a major helmet manufacturer completely mislead its readers by saying exactly the opposite in the "summary").

But you can't get something for nothing. Now the foam is MUCH harder in order to be able to offer the same energy absorbtion with a great deal smaller volume. So much harder in fact that my suspicion is that it would locally exceed the skull strength if the tests were performed correctly. The aluminum headform used only measures maximum deceleration and not local pressures.

Modern bicycle helmets have dispensed with the penetration tests because a heavily vented helmet cannot be made penetration proof.

Modern bicycle helmets use a micro outer shell that is designed ONLY for looks and does not compensate and spread the load of point contacts such as stones, curbs nor fire hydrant stoppers.

Look, Bell invented a business out of thin air and if you want to argue about them that's fine. But AFTER inventing it they've done the best job possible to meet expectations. It is just that the fanatical helmets promoters are more interested in fiction than fact.