Why You Should Put Up with Cycling Helmets

QUESTION: I participate in cycling for pleasure and relaxation, not as a
competitive sport. Helmets are really annoying while bicycling, and greatly
diminish my enjoyment. Can't I do without one?
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ANSWER: If you're such a good cyclist that you know you will never, ever fall
off your bike, and if you're positive that you will never hit a pothole, be
jumped at by a dog, or hit by a car, by all means, don't wear a helmet.
Otherwise, wear one.
Each year, 1,000 people die in bicycling accidents, and 75% of those
deaths are attributable to head injuries. Whether you ride a bike with
dropped handlebars or touring handlebars, you know that if anything stops your
bike suddenly, momentum will send you straight forward with your head leading
the way. A helmet may be your only protection.
If your helmet is annoying, get a new one. The best cycling helmets have
a hard outer shell and an inner padded lining that allows you to hear, see,
speak, and move your head, and is not too heavy or hot. It should fit snugly
and not flop around. Look for a helmet with a decal from the American
National Standards Institute or the Snell Memorial Foundation. These helmets
have met standardized impact tests.
I sympathize with your sentiments, and understand your desires for a
free, unrestrained ride, with the breeze blowing across your face and through
your hair. But I have seen too many injuries as the result of abandoning
safety equipment to put those sentiments against the cold reality of good
safety sense in all recreational and athletic activity.