You are free to do as you like as long as the risk you take is not shared with me. With modern medical insurance that can never be the case. The costs for the injuries you sustain from your risky behavior are added to my medical insurance premiums. That gives me the right to have something to say about your risky behavior.
Let's let the free market take control. As the poster upthread said, let's give you a license to ride unhelmented but we'll also make sure your insurance company knows about it. Then you can pay the excess premium and not me.
We ALREADY share the cost of everything on my list. You and I both pay for every drunk driving accident, every gay AIDS patient, every overweight heart/diabetes patient, etc. etc
We are in agreement that the risk should be borne by the individual; the hard part is how do you make it happen across the board? God forbid us actually making gays pay higher insurance rates because of their high-risk behavior.
I would suggest an idea for the helmet/seatbelt Nazis: no stupid "Click it or Ticket" program, but instead if pulled over for some other infraction (whole new thread subject there) the fact I don't have a helmet or seatbelt should be reported directly to my insurance company - they can deal with me accordingly.