Biking without helmets! You must be crazy.

I don't like helmets...

Riding on my beater bike today I was thinking about helmets and the funny rational of why we wear them. Who is responsible for our own safety when we leisurely ride our bikes? Are the government agencies so concerned with our safety that they create laws to wear them? If they are why are roads not designed with bicycle friendly guidelines. We have many examples around the world. Why am I asking, why does this perturb me?

Why are roads not designed for bikes (including most new and renovated ones), yet we are told that a simple helmet will protect us with an allotment of 1 foot of road shoulder. I don't think so, but let's fool ourselves into thinking helmets are the panacea for an improper planned transportation system.

In terms of bicycles, responsibility of road safety has been misplaced. A common scenario of the 'be safe culture'. You are safe but really you are not, but here, embrace this lobbied safety product and you can once again enjoy your ride! Here within a framework that is unsafe, ride safely.

I really dislike seeing families out for a leisurely stroll donning a sea of helmets. Biking is not dangerous, so why must we make it an extreme sport? By creating a dangerous vibe about bikes, people will start to avoid the hassle of donning the gear and taking the car. Other cultures have managed to survive (most European countries), why must we purchase yet another device to complicate a simple recreational act. North Americans are obsessed with equipment driven activities. I think it's part of our consumerist culture.