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Originally Posted by tranquilized
But, I think helmets are only really necessary in traffic. If I was riding on a dedicated bike track, I'd rather not wear one.
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I assume you're talking about a dedicated bike track like the ones you get along the side of creeks and so forth? To be honest, I reckon they're almost as dangerous as riding on the road - dogs running around on and off leads, kids all over the place, and Mr I-want-to-Lance-Armstrong on his carbon road bike trying to break the land speed record. At least that's what my local bike "track" is like!
Fact is you can fall off a bike anywhere and bump your head. The road, a bike path, your drive, inside your kitchen trying to perfect your track-stands... Whether the law changes or not, I'll still be wearing my lid when I take the bike out, regardless of where I'm riding. Why?
Exhibit A - I went OTB rather spectacularly on a mountain bike ride in the UK several years ago. A case of too much speed, the wrong line and a drop-off that I wasn't expecting. I walked away from it quite sore, bit of a headache and a big dent in my helmet.
Exhibit B - some years later I was riding with my wife, again off-road, and we descended a fire trail at Warp 6. I was in front, picking my line, and my wife tried to follow me but got caught out by a tiny rut. She went flying, used the top part of her head as a brake and suffered only superficial injuries such as gravel rash, cuts, bruises, a scratched cornea, torn eyelid... nothing was broken apart from her lid which was split open on the outer shell whilst valiantly trying to hold the three pieces of the insides together. She won't necessarily like me mentioning it here, but she's also got a small depression on her head (yes, her actual skull) at the point of impact. At A&E, everyone and I mean absolutely everyone who treated her or saw her also saw the helmet and reckoned it saved her life. And MET replaced it for free when I sent it back to them, thanking them for their product.
Ultimately the choice is down to the rider. If you don't wear a helmet, that's your choice entirely - I won't tell you what to do; I'm not your mother. All you'll get from me is the sort of puzzled look I also give to idiots who ride motorcycles in shorts and thongs, perhaps muttering "organ donor" under my breath...