Like I said, I have, and have used, all types, as well as putting thousands of miles behind me without a helmet. I've also lived long enough to have known a few and heard of several more folks who have died on the road, on bikes and in cars, from the helmetless tshirt and sneakers guys to the full leather, gloves and boots, full faced helmet guys and a few who were surrounded by 2 tons of steel. While the mortality rate of motorcycle accidents may be higher, more people by far, die in car accidents than are killed on bikes. In spite of having busted two solid helmets, and I very likely would have died, or been permanently vegged without them, my actual closest call with The Reaper was in my car when the other guy in a much larger vehicle ran a stopsign, and the physical damage has affected much more of my body. But, these are my experiences, the things I take into account when I decide to wear a helmet or not, or whether to ride or drive my car. I would no more expect they should influence anyone elses behaviour any more than I would allow someone elses experiences to dictate my decisions. Neither would I consider anyone else either more or less intelligent as a result of their own decision making, we all have our own lessons to learn in life. I'm not in favor of mandatory helmet laws..I love to ski also, and just read online of a guy locally who is pushing to instate mandatory helmet laws for all skiers, because his snowboarding son died as a result of a collision with a tree last year, and "no one should have to go thru what we're going thru". I can sympathize with losing a family member, but I am 100% against a ski helmet law in spite of the fact I have been personally considering getting one. My reason for wanting one has absolutely nothing to do with safety, it is based on being tired of having to gather up all the parts I lose when I wipe out, plus the added warmth, and ability to have speakers for my mp3 player. I like guns too, but I'm not gonna put on body armour every time I go target shooting because I might be injured by ricochet, even tho that does occasionally happen. The difference in peripheral vision between full, 3/4, and 1/2 helmets, as far as I'm concerned is negligible. Perhaps it's a heightened sense of awareness, when I pass someone, even if I can't see them, I have a good idea of where they are, and with mirrors and actually turning my head, I don't worry about it much. In a car, you should really be aware of what's going on in the 1/4 to 1/2 mile ahead of you and about a 1/4 mile behind, on a bike it's even more important, because realistically, we all try to stay at least a half step ahead of the rest of the traffic and things are happening just that much faster. I don't fear death, it is a constant companion, whether you ride a bicycle, motorcycle, a car, or just walk down the street, and the older you get, the closer it is. If you let it rule your life, you're not living, if you treat it with disregard, it will snatch you up quick. But...no reason to fear it, no one gets out alive anyway.
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