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As an orthopedic surgeon who has witnessed head injury on the trail, I can tell you that the state of science regarding traumatic injury and the value of helmets is overwhelming. The relative strength of a skull is similar to tempered glass. So imagine filling a tempered glass skull with jello, cover with skin and drop it on the floor. Its a pretty good analogy to what happens when a helmetless head hits pavement. A good quality helmet certainly isn’t bullet proof, and serious injury happens regardless, but stay in your right mind – wear one.
I was a trauma resident in Pa when mandatory motorcycle helmet laws were repealed in 2000. Afterwards I got a great deal more sleep on trauma call. A significantly higher number of motorcycle accident victims were dying in the field before being transported to our level I trauma center. There, my friends, is Darwin at work. Don’t do his job for him.