That is fine if you are single, no kids, no parents and no living relatives. I sure wouldn't want to take care of a relative that was riding and fell off their bike, hit their head, suffered brain damage and now has the mentality of a 5 year old. Don't put that responsibility on others - take care of yourself and don't selfish.

My wife and son don't like wearing helmets either - if they ride with me they must, I make them and the above argument is hard to get around. It doesn't matter you're the best rider, etc, etc, accidents happen, that's why they call them accidents.

My son was walking up to the house after school 6 weeks ago, looking off into the back yard and stepped into a soft piece of ground (gopher tunnel) just before getting onto the pavement. He had paper and mail in the left arm so he put his right arm out to catch his fall, landing the right wrist on the pavement. He broke both bones in his arm just above his wrist. Stupid accident, he wasn't running or anything. Accidents happen. Do make others pay for your accidents / mistakes.

I picked up decent well ventilated helments from Performance (prior year model clearance) for 50% off. A few bucks is cheap compared to hospital bills or a lifetime of disability. Protect the brain, even if you don't think you have one.

Mark