No fan of bike helmets....and not because they look goofy.
The fetish of bike helmets will die once the deaths and crippling injuries from cervical (neck) injuries moves to the forefront.
If you land on your head, wearing a bike helmet, you are more likely to break and/or dislocate vertebrae in your neck...causing paralysis and/or death. Helmets put more stress on your neck in high-impact crashes and accidents.
I will have to “dig” through my computer files at home, but I think I have a copy of a news story from a few years ago which announced the results of a “surprising” study which had found that bicycle accident fatality rates were INCREASING in areas/localities that adopted mandatory bicycle helmet laws.
And, if I am not mistaken, C1 vertebrae fractures / “hangmans” breaks and brain injury due to major concussions NOT accompanied by skull fractures, appeared to be the primary drivers behind the increase.
I remember a skiing instructor telling us that helmets really didn’t improve safety on the slopes for the reasons you cite. Apparently the safest thing to do is avoid trees. Who knew.
But that will save the public healthcare system money. Hence the need to wear the helmets.