Gemma_k wrote:

Stackhats went out in, oh, 1980? Modern helmets are light, well
ventilated and comfortable.

You miss the point. It doesn't matter how good a helmet is to wear, or how
safe you feel in one, or how many vents there are or what kind of hairstyle
you have. It's all about the choice of whther you WANT to wear a helmet,
rather than mandating that you do....

Sure, I don't believe that helmets (or seatbelts) should be compulsory,
but if you choose not to wear one, you're an idiot.

History shows that there's rather more idiots in the world than
is ideal. A society that does its best to look after everyone (free
healthcare in particular) has a choice. Either make some level of
safety equipment compulsory - and hopefully reduce the bills we all
have to pay for healthcare through tax, or say "if you don't
wear this/use this etc, then you void your healthcare privs."

It's never an easy choice, it's always a "where do you
draw the line" issue. Such are the joys of living in the real world.