How to helmets resist the impact

Our own belief, of course, is that a cyclist should wear a bike helmet. We are helmet advocates, after all.
In 2010 we saw an increase in blog posts from cyclists who do not believe you should weara helmet. They challenge the conventional wisdom that helmets are necessary to reduce brain injures.

First, for views opposing ours

The Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation. Their Policy Statementpage explains where they are coming from.
Mikael Colville Andersen's presentation to TEDx, disparaging helmets and helmet promoters. He says car manufacturers are pushing helmets because they fearthat bicycles will take over the cities. We have a response to his presentation.
Questions you may want to ask

Is there evidence that helmets protect brains and heads? We have a statistics pagethat may help you research that. Don't miss the recent New York City data showing that 97% of their dead cyclists had no helmet.
Do cyclists crash? Do bare-headed cyclists injure their brains moreoften? Again our stats page may help.
What is your general level of risk-avoidance? Do you:
adjust your brakes when they get worn
use active lights at night
swim in thunderstorms
wear seatbelts in acar
pinch grounding prongs off electrical plugs
have a working battery in your home smoke detector
shred railings on your skateboard
ride a fixie with no front brake
ignore sunburns
drinknon-organic milk
drive or ride while intoxicated
watch your weight
exercise regularly?
Maybe the conventional wisdom comes from people who have different ideas about taking chances.
How important to youis thinking clearly?
Only you can answer that one. Do you have a lot invested in training your brain? Is anyone else depending on you to function?

Who should you listen to?
On all sides you hear"studies have shown" followed by a mix of information, misinformation, fabrication and outright prevarication. Studies have indeed shown things, but some are much better than others, and sorting it...