I didn't grow up wearing helmets, but I do now. The below story is not the reason why, but if I ever had doubts it serves as a very real reminder.

About 11 years ago, an 11-year-old child of a friend died in a bicycling accident. She was thrown head first over the handlebars on a family bike ride. Her death was tragic not only in the loss in general, but the way the media chose to handle it. A large area newspaper did a full-page story on her death and blamed it squarely on her parents not making her wear a helmet. This was horrific for them. These were not negligent parents. They adored their child. I think everyone understood the newspaper was trying to take a loss and make it into a learning experience, but at the time it felt almost cruel. However, if the story made one person stop and think about the wearing of helmets, I suppose it was worth it.