Earlier this year I posted a piece on why you should always wear a bike helmet. Well, some recent research (abstract only; the rest is paywalled) in effect says "hey, wait a minute, maybe helmets aren't all that." Here's a bit more over at the Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation, and a NYTimes weekend article on the matter.
OK, all of that may well be true. But I'm not concerned with a "net societal health" enhancement brought on by encouraging more people to ride who otherwise would not by not legally requiring helmets – I know how I ride, I know that I will ride, I know how some people drive, and I know that I have to keep my brain intact and running at peak performance just to make a living. I also know that I've bounced my way through three helmets in the last fifteen years, as have several friends, and that a couple of friends who should've been wearing helmets have had their bells well and dangerously rung. (They call one "Crazy Dave" these days for good reason.)
For all that but probably for different reasons, I too feel strongly that bicycle helmets should not be legally mandated. But I will not ride without one. Period. If you need further elaboration, please visit last June's post and the Dirt Rag article linked from there.
Thus ends today's rant.
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