I don’t mean to sound flip. I really do wear a helmet (while biking), because it seems reasonable and even “normal” in our current bike culture. But it’s very important that we don’t oversell helmets to our fellow Philadelphians. When there’s too much pressure (or even just the sense that you shouldn’t ride without one) people will choose not to ride. It might not be at the heart of the decision, but I suspect it’s part of it. That makes the streets worse for all of us. Ultimately, we should abolish “bike culture” or at least reclaim it from the action-packed extreme-sport health-nut environmental-martyrdom it currently suffers. The bicycle should be as important to our identity as our shoes or maybe even our refrigerators. The spectrum from Tweed Ride to Biking the Strike seems healthier to me than what the urban cyclist has faced since we got displaced from the roads we got paved in the first place.

Your entire argument is predicated on the idea that the only type of accident one might have on a bike involves a car. There are an infinite number of possible ways to have an accident (other bicyclists, pedestrians, pot holes, wet roads, bad bike maintenance, etc.) while riding a bike.

Some people even try to claim that helmets don’t provide any protection, which I seriously doubt. But some psychologists have shown that there may be evidence that motorists pass helmeted riders closer than riders who let their hair blow in the breeze, which rings sadly true to me.

Ultimately, I wear a helmet because I’ve been in a collision with one, and my head didn’t hurt at all (but damn the rest of my body did). But I’ve resolved to never ever pressure anyone else to wear a helmet. I’d rather see you on the streets having fun, looking good.

Peace in the helmet wars everyone!