That reminds me: I have an uncle who hit a tree after running over some sand on his motorcycle. The helmet cracked, but he walked away.

People still fight like mad to not have mandatory helmet laws (taking away their "freedom"). Don't know if this has changed, but for the longest time in RI, helmets are required for motorcycle passengers (of any age), but not for the pilots.

Lots of similarities to some points made above.

Mike