I too have come to accept the necessity of a helmet if riding on the roads.I don't really like it I've gotten use to it.
I think it should be mandatory for children; adults can use their own judgement.However if they get a head injury with no helmet should they have to pay out of pocket for medical care?

Nothing should be mandatory...it is up to that parent or that person if they want to wear a helmet or not....I personally don't wear one while bike riding

They are mandatory across NZ, and Im grateful that they are- when I was 11 i got a new mountain bike and promptly road head first into a tree at quite high speed. My helmet was smashed into several bits. I was lucky to escape with a concussion, sprained shoulder and severe bruising. Ditto a story of another girl who fell off her bike on a very steep hill. She nearly did scrape her face off, but if she hadnt been wearing a helmet we would have been attending a funeral. I always want to yell at people who are not wearing them, and have actually seen police ticketing cyclists who do not. Also the people who take the plastic shell of the helmets and just wear the polysterene- they are also asking for trouble as the shell prevents the polysterene from distintergrating and if you happen to come off, it may help you slide down the road.
Its just so second nature to me now to wear one, I could never not wear a helmet biking

I'm not really sure what the laws are in my area, but I can't imagine biking without a helmet! I used to resent it, when I was a kid, but I eventually realized that protecting my head was far more important than my vanity! I will gladly look like a dork if it means not potentially fatally injuring myself

Maybe I should also point out that in NZ we dont have to have medical insurance- the Government (sorta) pays for any injuries we have caused by accidents. So we all understand this rule as even though its definatly telling us what to do, its sorta justifiable by the free ambulance ride and care at hospital, and partial compensation for lost wages for any time off (after you fill out 80 million forms lol).

I always do. I've had lots of head trauma (typically due to being a spectacular klutz) and it's just not worth the risk. Plus, I don't live in a very bike-friendly urban area.

I always do.

My dad is an avid road biker, and last year he was riding his bike and someone ran a stop sign and slammed into him. He then fell face first (after flying) to the pavement. He had to get stitches all over, but luckily his head was ok.

I was riding my bike even on a trail, and a running wasn't paying attention (headphones) and ran right into me, and caused me to go flying, I had scrapes everywhere, but nothing on my head because of my helmet.

For the sake of vanity, get over it and put it on.

i am SUPER accident prone, so the helmet is a necessity for me! I certainly prefer NOT to wear one, but it just isn't worth the risk. It's just an easy precaution to take. I'm the sort of person that people suggest wear bubble wrap when i leave the house.

I haven't had any cycling falls (knock wood!) but have had some horseback riding accidents where I was really grateful to have been wearing a riding helmet (one in particular where my horse and i both fell on a slippery road and my head hit pretty good. thankfully no concussion there...although i did shatter 2 bones in my hand).

I ride my bike to work, and living in Hollywood, it aint easy navigating around all these cars-
BUT, i found a solution to have fun with helmets: being swedish, i decided to put two viking horns on my helmet-that way, I'm safe and fun!

I never wear one when riding to class. I know I should, but hardly anyone else around campus does...and honestly, I already have to be bothered with my books and stuff, and a helmet is just another thing to have to worry about leaving in a classroom. I always wear one when I'm out with my parents on trails, though. I honestly can't remember how much I wore one when I was a kid. I think not as often as I should have. I think kids should definitely wear them, at least but I don't know about making it mandatory.

I don't have a bike, and haven't ridden in years and years. (I'd love to get one, though, so the whole family can ride together, if we can find a safe place.) My son, who is 4, has a bike, and he *always* wears his helmet. My husband would probably not enforce it, but I absolutely do.

It never occurred to me to make a kid wear a helmet on a tricycle though. First, they aren't going that fast. Second, they aren't really on the street. Third, even if they fell off, they're not going to fall any farther than if they tripped and fell - probably not even as far. So, while I'm sure there's a risk there, I'm not going to make my 2 yo wear a helmet whiile he's cruising on his tricycle on the driveway.

I actually don't ride a bike because I don't want to wear a helmet. I would never want to ride without one, but I hate how they look and feel, so I just don't ride a bike.

Oh and I never wore a helmet when I was a kid, and my husband didn't either, on his very long bike rides

i didn't wear helmets when i was a kid until the law started enforcing it and my parents bought us helmets. being 25 i know the dangers of not wearing a helmet and religiously wear one whether i'm on a trail or the streets. i know several people who are grateful for wearing there helmets because of some accidents. you just never know what could happen.

even if it's not enforced i think parents should use their common sense when it comes to their childs safety. sadly common sense isn't so common these days.

gtrswede-cute idea with the horns }(

I ride my bike to work (.5 miles away) and I don't wear a helmet because it's so close and for the most part, bike friendly. There is an area that's a little dangerous & I do get a bit nervous, but I still don't wear a helmet. I have "almost" been hit a few times, so I probably should. I would feel dorky, though.

I like the viking idea, gtrswede! Maybe I should do something like that...

I don't really bike now, though I did around my college campus (without a helmet - it was on pathways, not roadways with cars) and plan to next year when I start grad school. As a driver, I get so angry (quietly) at bike riders around here in Boston who aren't wearing helmets because it is so so dangerous being on the roads here and a helmet could save a life. Like others, my dad has fallen and was saved serious injury by his helmet. I also know people who have had very serious accidents while riding (getting hit by cars) and survived because of the helmet. Yeah, I think it looks dorky, but I would rather look like something than nothing at all!

I did on and off growing up. I usually rode mountain bikes on trails and I was more comfortable on my bike than I was walking- so I almost never wore one. Luckily I never landed on my head.

I ride a fixed gear road bike now and ride in traffic in the city. I always wear a helmet now. I've found that when I don't I don't actually enjoy myself when I'm riding because I'm so afraid of landing on my head. I also broke my two top front teeth in half back in December when I was in a bike accident. Drunk and no helmet. That'll teach someone...

When I was a kid, nobody I knew wore helmets and it never occurred to me to wear one until my boyfriend told me that the main difference between an organ donor and a biker is the helmet. I got used to it very quickly, because I enjoy being safe, but now I have a problem with biking to school, because the helmet does bad things to my bangs. The "bike to work" month is coming though and I jut cut my bangs really short, so maybe I'll reconsider.

How do feel about wearing a helmet for skiing though? I noticed that it's becoming quite common and I definitely want to buy one.

I don't bike very often and when I do it's on side streets on my way to starbucks. I have a basket that my dog sits in while we ride. I never had a helmet growing up, I never injured my head, if I fell it was always knees elbows and the such. If I biked more seriously I would buy a helmet, but my twice a month you can walk faster bike rides just don't make it seem neccesary

I feel bike helmets are absolutely necessary for every rider whether they're an adult or child.

I am really disappointed that since my younger nephew turned 18 he's decided not to wear his helmet. Especially after he got clobbered by a car last yesterday and his helmet saved his cranium from splitting open. For some reason he now thinks he's indestructible and that it's optional. Luckily he got hit by another car on Monday so he's rethinking his position.

I wear a helmet every time I ride my bike, even just to the market. I don't even notice it's on, and I would hate to imagine the consequences of even a small accident if I were unfortunate enough to hit my head. Not that I like the helmet head, but if it's a short trip, I can usually fluff my hair up again, and if it's a long one, I probably need a shower, anyway!

I think everyone should wear a helmet, always! Of course, as a kid, I didn't agree, and when the mandatory helmet law for children under 18 was enacted when I was, say, 12, I stopped riding. I have since gotten over the "uncoolness" of it, and, in fact, I have come to think its uncool NOT to wear one.

I only bike a few blocks away to go get coffee, so I'd rather not. If I were biking a long distance or through bumpy roads or on trails, then yes for sure. But for town biking? Not so much.

i feel like a dork. but a safe dork.

I advocate for the helmet every single time. If it keeps your noggin' from cracking like and egg then it is worth it.

I live in Toronto which is an incredibly dangerous city for bikers. I used to ride my bike to work occasionaly and I was hit by cars three times! Now I don't really ride. Even wearing a helmet I don't feel safe.

btw I always follow the rules of the road and the times I was hit were not my fault. It was the fault of the drivers not bothering to pay attention to what was around them.

I bike commute as soon as the weather permits. That's at least two hours on my bike each day (it's a long ride to campus!). I always wear a helmet - let's be honest, wearing a helmet is common sense. Especially if you are biking anywhere near cars/traffic. Yeah, it might not help you look like a supermodel, but it's protecting your brain (and that is something I value more than my looks). Also, I'm really surprised that no one brought up bike LIGHTS. Where I live, if you are riding and it is dark (sunset to sunrise) you need to have two lights - a front light and a back light. I have a really bright, constant front light and a blinking red back light. I feel so much better with a helmet and my lights.

Speaking from personal experience...if I ever ride a bike again (and that's a big IF)...I will most certainly wear a helmet.

I was in a serious bike accident when I was younger, and a helmet would've prevented the severe concussion I sustained (I lost about 15-20 minutes...no recollection whatsoever).

It wouldn't have prevented the numerous bumps and scrapes and breaks on the rest of my body but it would've prevented the severity of the concussion, as well as half my face being scraped off in the process

a friend of mine's father is a paraplegic from a bike riding accident. he used to ride his bike everywhere and if he was not wearing a helmut, is injuries could have been much much worse. this is only one reason why i wear a helmut. the second, i guess, is from dating cyclists. i've witnessed many wipe outs and flips on bikes, as well as a few cracked helmets.

I feel nerdy wearing one, but I wear one anyone...ALWAYS. I know too many people who avoided serious injuries because they had their helmet on, so I don't want to tempt fate.

Growing up, we never wore helmets on our bikes. In fact, we didn't get helmets until we had a section on bike safety in school and convinced my mom and dad that we needed to get helmets for safety. I wore one when I was a kid, but now I rarely wear one because when I bike I bike on trails where there honestly isn't much danger of crashing. I know I SHOULD wear one, but I don't...I DO wear a helmet all the time when I get on my motorcycle though.

I've been riding my bike to work (Nashville), and even though though I look like a HUUUGE dork, I wear a helmet.

As I kid, I NEVER wore one. Didn't even own one. But I lived in a teeny tiny town, that didn't have a stop light, or even caution lights! Not much traffic. We roamed all over town as kids, and our parents didn't have a worry. Actually most of our bike riding was done on our little street that had a grand total of 4 houses. It was perfect because it had a small hill & curve.

I'm not sure what the laws are, but I can't imagine NOT wearing a helmet. I actually know two people who got brain damage from being hit when not wearing a helmet. I mean, it's pretty much the end of your life. I don't get why someone wouldn't wear one?

Hell yes I wear a helmet, even for a 3-minute ride to get groceries. It's the law in NYC, though not very strictly enforced. I'll take the dorkiness and flattened bangs any day over having to explain the stupid vanity that landed me in a wheelchair.

They are stupid ugly, but I would never ride without one. It's just not worth the risk.

I really don't see what's so bad about wearing a helmet. I wear one all the time when I ride - whether I'm biking to commute in traffic, or cycling on a completely empty flat bike trail, I always wear it. Honestly, no one looks at a person wearing a bike helmet and thinks 'wow, what a dork' - they think 'oh, it's a person who rides their bike'. And if they did think you were a dork, well, the things that people think stay inside their head anyway.

I just don't see why it's so embarrassing. Might as well start putting a social stigma on seatbelts. Just put on the damn helmet already, you know? If you get splattered all over the road, you can't even be an organ donor.

My boss and his wife were riding their bikes in a state park in RI. Not even on a street, in a state park. Single file. A guy who was high on prescription medicine ran them both down. My bosses' wife was trapped underneath the car with her bike and dragged down the road. She was unconscious for two days. If she hadn't been wearing a helmet she would be dead or a vegetable. She has made a fairly miraculous recovery, although she had to have a lot of surgery and rehab and spent four months out of work.

I wouldn't consider riding without a helmet.

After reading some of the responses I noticed a lot of you think its ok to not wear a helmet on the road with CARS, but wear one on the trail. Riding with cars in the street is the most dangerous thing to do. If you don't like the way a helmet feels then go to a bike shop and try them on. Mines really cool and I don't feel dorky at all, and you shouldn't. To me its like not wearing your seatbelt when you drive. I feel uncomfortable not wearing one and unsafe. And who gives a hoot if you feel dorky, you aren't. Its not worth almost dying because an idiot ran a stop sign and slams their truck fender into your head.

Hell yeah I wear my helmet! I sometimes go over 20 miles an hour on my road bike, can you imagine if I fell off and hit my head?

But really, it is up to individuals to wear a helmet. Personally I think its stupid when people refuse to wear them because they look bulky or dorky. That thing saves lives! Even if you're just commuting or going on a leisurely ride. You never know what can happen.

Who cares what you look like when you bike? The choice between looking geeky and preventing your head from splitting open seems pretty obvious to me...

I started wearing one last year, and now I'm trying to get my mom to wear one as well. I use to ride my bike on my lunch break at my last job. And well, the people who pull out of the McDonalds drive-thru are too distracted with stuffing their face with french fries to notice me on my bike on the sidewalk. So, after almost having some dude run me over with his F250... I opted for a helmet.

What gets me, is that there are "grown-ups" looking at me like I'm a dweeb when I ride my bike with my helmet. You would think that by now, those "grown-ups" would have come to appreciate the safety factor.

i'm a cyclist, and obviously wear a helmet when i go out...i ride for a couple hours at a time, on busy roads...and when i was out the other day i saw a guy on a busy country road without one, going about 40km/hour...i was shocked!

It's a necessity, in my opinion.

Now I am encouraged to buy one! My commute is super short, but I do always feel nervous riding without one. What should you look for when purchasing a helmet & how much do they typically cost?

I never did when I was younger and I can't say I would now.

Seriously, WHERE are the non-dorky choices? There is this whole market for cool helmets and no one is stepping up. You *know* people would pay more for a stylish helmet. I am actually considering getting myself an equestrian helmet for riding my bike.

this is necromancy, but I'd like to add my two cents: I don't care if people think I look dorky, I'm gonna wear my helmet and laugh as I pass them going 30 mph on my road bike.