Originally Posted by crtreedude
I would think it would matter how fast you are going. Roadies generally are really moving, people who are Freds just are poking along, a little faster than a walk or run. I haven't noticed a lot of joggers with helmets - but if you are ripping down a hill at 40 MPH without a helmet - you might not have anything to worry about since it just might be that your brain isn't working that well anyway.
A bike to me is on the edge - at lower speeds, not much to worry about - but at high speed - you can crack your noggin good.
I personally don't wear a helmet very often (almost no one does here) - and I keep my speed to no more than 20 MPH. I suspect overall, that is safer than having a helmet and going at speeds that are much higher than I am comfortable with.
I respectfully disagree. The purpose of the bike helmet is primarily to protect your bean from the inital downward fall off the bike. Even at low or no speed, if you fall off and whack your head just right, it can kill you.
However, the effectiveness of helmets seems statistically debatable; I prefer to wear mine, but I don't try to convert others.