A comparison of cars and bikes is a comparitive question of how far should we go when trying to protect everyone from each other. Ironically, a customer today told me that with all the airbags in a new car nowadays, seat belts should not be required. I didn't know what to say...I just smiled and changed the subject.
Look, let me make something clear...I'm not opposed to helmets. I am opposed to their being used as an excuse to ride with a feeling of invincibility, town ordinances that do not address real safety issues of riders, and I really do feel that their advocacy is backed by the manufacturers that provide them and profit from these laws. Add-on sales are one of the first things they teach you in retail. If helmets are that important to safe cycling...then every bike should be required to come equipped with one or a coupon should be provided so that they are free.
Safety is more than just throwing a helmet on you head. Read some of the threads here about crashes. The helmet may have saved someone but, almost every post will include:
I was going 25 downhill on a wet road... (if the road is wet...slow down)
I was going too fast for road conditions..(again...should have slowed down.)
I was going too fast for my skill level... (if you know your skills are limited..slow down)
I got my front tire caught in ________ at an angle and I knew better (well, if you knew better...)
I was going 25-30mph and this car was sitting waiting to make a left turn and just as I got into the intersection, the guy turned right in front of me (Ok, I like going fast too, but I also know that car drivers are unpredictable, so I'm going to slow down and watch closely.)
Then there are the statements:
I'm wearing my brain bucket (or I'm keeping my brain bucket). (Brain bucket was a put down on helmets we used years ago, that pointed out the were good for nothing but keeping your brains from splattering across the pavement after your death. If you're going to call it something, try something that doesn't describe it's use as futile.)
I ride in traffic with cars going 45-50 mph so I'm wearing my helmet. (Questionable logic...helmets aren't designed for such impacts with autos, but somehow everyone believes that they are.)
If I'm going for a casual ride around the neigborhood...I don't need a helmet, but in traffic I always wear one...(If you trust a helmet to protect you, then you should wear it at all times.)