It is quite another thing to drive on streets surrounded by people in a wide range of vehicle types, many of whom have little awareness of motorcycles in the traffic stream, and little or no knowledge of the handling characteristics of the motorcycles around them, not to mention their own vehicles.
On the street, the best defense the rider has is the superior horsepower to weight ratio, maneuverability, and braking characteristics of his/her motorcycle. To utilize this, aside from rider skill, the rider must be aware of the actions of other vehicles around them, and that, frankly, involves looking around. In my van I can do this with a quick eye movement, scanning five mirrors which give me a pretty good view of what is going on around me. On the motorcycle, I have to turn my head. Mirrors like I have on my van would be an aerodynamic nightmare.
I have an old neck injury which makes this really tough to do on a long ride, especially if I have to strap on an extra 3 to 5 pounds. Try it sometime. Wear a motorcycle helmet around the house doing chores. Note decreased peripheral vision, note heat buildup, and note how fatiguing having that lid on is. Keep in mind you are not dealing with a 65-70 mph wind blowing in your face and the extra wind load, either.
I am not saying that helmets are evil per se, for some riders they work just fine. Just not for me. I only want to retain the right to choose what safety equipment is appropriate for me.
Additionally, I am tired of the lousy media stereotype which presents all motorcyclists as lowlife, indigent, and criminal. If you think about owning a $20,000 Harley, or a touring bike made by other manufacturers of similar cost, you don't get one of those without a job. The untermenschen mindset many 4-wheeler drivers have toward bikers makes it easier in their minds to justify their own behaviour which commonly endangers those of us who ride, a means of transportation commonly made more risky by the actions of those around us, actions, ironically, for which we bear the onus.
I have no illusions. I know there is a very good chance of getting hurt if I am in an accident, especially if it is with another vehicle. I am a very defensive driver as a result.
Automobile drivers are often under the perception that they are "safe" with their airbags, seatbelts, and crumple zones, and are less attentive. What would be the effect if you could make everyone believe their airbags would not work? Think the roads might get a little safer as people realized that they had to rely on their driving skills to keep from getting hurt, rather than a gadget?
When our state passed the mandatory seatbelt law, the same day the law went into effect, I was driving my (now ex) wife home from the hospital with a row of staples vertically through where the belt would lay. Driving her without her wearing a seatbelt was breaking the law. Making her wear one would have been criminal.
Laws which do not allow people to decide are ridiculous, and contribute to the knee jerk mindset which has kids kicked out of school for bringing in GI Joe toy guns 2 inches long. Note there is no law which states you cannot wear a helmet. So let those who ride decide.
I put about 11,000 miles on my bike in 2004. All of them with a helmet. I am very aware of the drawbacks to wearing them. They get very hot in the tropics. I am also very aware of the benefits, having been in a crash where the helmet kept my head in one piece.
I fully support someones right to decide for themselves if they want to wear a helmet or not. If, for example, someone thinks they are too hot, fine. That is good enough for me. Go enjoy yourself. The problem I have is people who need to invent facts to justify their decision. The argument is very similar to someone who might say, "I don't wear a seatbelt becuase it prevents me from being thrown from the car in the case of a crash. If I am thrown from the car, there is less chance of me being hurt."
Being thrown from the car has nothing to do with it. Personally, I wear a seatbelt about 50% of the time. I do it because it is more comfortable with out. It is that simple. I would respect non-helmet wearing riders a lot more if they would just admit the same.
The problem I have with groups like ABATE is the lies they spread in order to further their agenda. The most dangerous time for a biker is when they are first learning. It is when they need the helmet the most. How many have been killed because they believed the anti-helmet propaganda and thought it was somehow more dangerous if a rider is wearing one?