I was hit by a car on Monday. And as I see it, it was a worthwhile experience. It couldn't have happened any better. Even though I was clipped in I was thrown in just a way that I managed to catch my weight with my left forearm, roll on my left shoulder and flop square on my back. Within a second I stood up, unscratched and with only a few small bruises. The man stopped, and much to my joy gave me his card. He's a used car salesman. He knows the importance of obeying the law of the road and said he would make a report at the police substation, file an insurance claim and help me out as best he could.

I can't imagine anyone could object to a situation such as that happening in any other way. We all know very well how accidents are just that, accidents. They are unavoidable and unforeseen and can have irreversible consequences.

This is where my dilemma arose. I made a mistake. I was not wearing a helmet and thankfully I rolled in such a way that I easily avoided any sort of head to ground contact. I imagine some of you have some input on good headgear to look into. I'm interested in something lightweight and well-ventilated. I've been told that helmet makers consistently roll out new models to meet updated safety specifications which forces bike shops and whatnot to offer the 'old' models at a heavily discounted rate.

At any rate, how much should I expect to spend? From what I've seen, anything $100 and up is made how I would like, but can I get them for cheaper? Which helmet works best? Simply put, any input is greatly appreciated.

You can get a well ventalated helmet that is quite stylish for under US$50. Maybe as low as US$30. All helmets sold in the USA must meet the same minimum CPSC impact standred, be it a $9.99 no name at Big Lots or a limited edition Giro Atmos for $230 at an LBS.

I like my Louis Garneau, but it's a couple of years old now (come to think of it, I should really replace it soon as they apparently degrade). Mine was the "Alien".

https://www.louisgarneau.com/

https://mtbr.com/reviews/Helmet/product_21997.shtml

I think I paid $80 for it at the time, and that was on the steep side for me. I'd definately buy another Louis Garneau helmet in the future, so I can reccomend them.

If you don't mind stretching your budget, I recommend the Giro Xen, particularly if you have a roundish head. The most important factor is proper fit.

I picked up my Bell Citi when the 06's rolled out, I got an '05 for $25.

I don't think the safety rules have changed that much, certainly not from one year to the next. They just keep messing with the design in order to obsolete last year's stuff. It's a game the auto industry invented, and pretty much everyone does these days.

I don't think I've ever spent more than $60 on a helmet, except for once because it just looked SO cool that I had to have it.
It's all about comfort, really. Go to the shop and try them all on until you find one that feels right.

I have a big head and got a giro atlas II. cost me $15 dollars as my health insurance company gave me $25 back on the price for buying a helmet. If you have health coverage, check with them to see if they give a rebate on purchased helmet. If you dont have health coverage, bleh... be careful out there.

i think i said this just yesterday, but for the sake of repeating myself...
the bell slant (40-50 bucks) and bell citi (25-30? bucks) were the two top-scoring helmets for adults in consumer reports' bike helmet tests. i have the slant and i wouldn't pay more for a helmet now that i know this one is available. it has lots of vents, it looks nice, it's highly adjustable. mine was $40 at performance bike.

ps: i have a kind-of big head, too, and this helmet fits me very well. i don't know about small-headers, but i'd guess it'd work for them too! you can try them on at performance bike if there's one near you.

Klink:
The one aspect of your post I'd like to focus on is you mentioned you've been told that " helmet makers consistently roll out new models to meet updated safety specifications." This is simply false information. No helmet made in 2007 is going to be safer than the model that came out in '05. But helmet manufacturers do put out new models every year and this is why you can get a really nice helmet for cheaper. I purchased a "last year" model Limar 911 which retails normally for $125 for only $50.
Helmet fit is very important though so you are best off trying the brands out that your local stores carry to see which fit your head the best. Then if you can save $50 or more bucks by purchasing one online I say go for it. My lbs gets plenty of money from me already.

"Last year's" models are great for saving $$ when, like many of us, you're not concerned about having the newest/flashiest matched team kit gear. Closeouts at Performance and REI are my two favourite shopping spots.

look for a round back end. This will avoid that catching on anything. Also think about the cold if you need to. My helment alows for a winter hat. Bell Citi I think does this with the back end. My old 04 Metro helmet works great.

A helmet could possibly prevent you from some amount of head injury in a collision. Not being involved in the collision in the first place will go a lot further in protecting your head though. I don't want to start the usual A&S argument but... Klink, if you wanted to post a few details about how your collision happened, maybe we could give some advice as to how to avoid it happening again. The good news is that you sound like you know how to take a fall at least.

He didn't ask for advice on how to avoid a future collision, he asked for advice on helmets.

I know But I liken that to someone asking for advice on what bike to buy and not telling us what they plan to use it for.

I read on Thursday in The Metro newspaper here in Toronto (sorry, they do not have a link to the story) that British researchers jave concluded that motorists tend to respect and exercise greater caution around cyclists who are not wearing helmets. If I recall their data correctly, I believe they said there was a nine times greater chance of being struck by a motor vehicle if the cyclist is wearing a helmet.

That so called study is complete horse****. It's been posted about 50 times in the past week and the unanimous decision is it's full of BS.

Think about how you view cyclists when you are driving. Do you really give preferential treatment based on whether someone has a helmet or not? I doubt it and I know I don't. Personally if anything I respect cyclists who look like they know what they are doing and are riding safely more than those who don't, but I still exercise the same amount of caution around them all.

I can't defend the article as it was brief and I do not recall what authority the researchers had, if any. So, it may well be BS as you suggest.

I am a thirty-year+ bike commuter who rides predictably, responsibly, alertly and safely. I certainly hope that I would satisfy those who respect cyclists who 'look' like they know what they're doing in spite of the fact that I do not wear a helmet. Judging by the large number of cyclists I see who wear helmets yet still race through red-lights and stop-signs, thread lanes and ride on busy sidewalks and ride against traffic on congested streets and who do not use lights or reflectors when night riding and who behave unpredictably, erratically and recklessly, they sure don't receive my respect for looking like they knew what they were doing just because they had a lid on.

I stated that having a lid means you look like you know what you are doing.
By "looking" I meant by the way they are riding ie on the right side of the road, with lights, using signals et-cetera.

I just bought an '05 Bell Citi at REI's outlet website for less than $20.