Stick with your first instinct, which was to mind your own business.

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Agree with Gary. It's none of your business if they want to wear a helmet or not.

I wouldn't say anything unless I'm riding with them. Otherwise it doesn't bother me at all.

Curious why you would say something to someone riding with you - does that bother you more than a stranger?

Wearing a helmet makes sense but it certainly isn't the life or death situation so many make it out to be. Outside of a mass start races, I haven't hit my head cycling in 40 years. In that time, I've hit my head in a car accident, slipping on ice and playing basketball. Nobody wears helmets doing those things.

While it's dumb to not wear a helmet, they statistics are pretty clear. Even without wearing a helmet, the health benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks. I'd rather see people riding helmetless than not riding because they don't like helmets.

The local group rides all require helmets. If it's just a bunch of friends meeting up for a ride we all wear helmets so it would be odd if someone showed up without a helmet one day.

I have many helmets for different riding demands but sometimes when I'm commuting I don't wear one.
Fortunately helmets are a personal choice (except Australia). Someone else not wearing a helmet does not affect me one bit, so it's none of my business

Well, contrary to some of the others, when there is an opportunity I almost always say something (of course you have to use some reason in the process) . I try to be nice about it and informative. I also compliment kids and families who do wear helmets. I say something to the non-wearers for at least three reasons:

1. It is in their best safety interest.
2. Contrary to some posters, it is our "business." Everyone who pays into the health care system is subsidizing part of the system. So, we get to subsidize brain damage treatment for the person not wearing a helmet. The same applies to wearing seat belts and motorcycle helmets (most places).
3. The more cyclists look out for their own safety, the more motorists are likely and willing to look out for our safety. So, wearing a helmet is part of being a good ambassador for ALL cyclists.

Best wishes,

---

David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

A few 'non-cycling' friends who've ridden our local MUT with their kids have mentioned the attitude of "all the Tour de France wannabes" yelling at people, flying by at 20+mph, etc. I've explained to them the reason for riders calling out their passes, but I'm not going to add to the perception that they - and I'm sure plenty of other recreational riders - already have by being "that guy" when it comes to helmet use.

I don't yell at people for not wearing seatbelts in cars either.

Agreed.

I used to; now, I don't bother

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Very low rate of helmet use (near-none) in bike-heavy places like Copenhagen. Most of those riders are not riding at high speeds of exercise, but then again neither are most people you are likely talking about in the US who aren't wearing helmets.

I only say something to myself or my wife. Nothing to the person. I do hope that nothing bad happens to them.

This is a compelling argument to speak up. Which I don't do but hadn't considered this.

Less chance of getting punched in the face or shot from someone you know.

I only say something if they have their helmet hanging from their handlebars. I've twice seen this cause a crash when their knee bumped it into the handlebars. One of these crashes did take out a rider behind them. So it in this case it is my business as the helmet can actually cause a injury to others. I don't yell at them, I say something like, "you forgot your helmet." But usually they reply with FU.

Say something, no. I just tap my helmet as I pass.

It's moronic. Sure, anybody can crash. But, it places undue burden on responders to deal with a brain injury moron versus someone who likely could have gone home with a broken bike in a friend's car. It's selfish.

In our groups around here, it isn't allowed. Period. They will point you away from the group immediately after offering you a helmet first out of their own car as a spare. Same for lights depending on the season and time of day. I was about to head back home after forgetting my front, group member had a spare in their car! Amazing.

I speak up when it's my friend's kid(s) who is riding without helmets. It's been well received because they just didn't know better. The parents grew up riding bikes without helmets. Me too. Society changed. I changed. Now they have too. Well sort of: the parents still don't wear helmets.

It bothers me, but it probably shouldn't, because it doesn't directly affect me (setting aside shared medical costs in socialist countries). If it's my friend or family member, I'll say something, to let them know I care if they get a head injury. Because that would affect me.

I might also say something if it's a youngster or newbie who may not know better.

---

<The Dew Abides>

You wouldn't have to try very hard to come up with enough potential hazards faced in day-to-day existence to justify wearing a helmet from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. Riding slowly on a soft-surface path with no cars is obviously not a zero-risk proposition, but it is unquestionably a lower risk activity that riding fast on a paved road shared with automobile traffic. Would I wear a helmet? Probably. But I certainly wouldn't be so pretentious as to tell others that their risk tolerance decisions are unacceptable to me.

---

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

That sounds like a bit of a false dilemma, though, excepting maybe people who genuinely can't afford a used helmet.

Maybe when learning to use one for the first time it can seem a bit uncomfortable or something. But I find it hard to believe that helmet use is a real impediment to bike use in general.

The topic of compulsory helmet use is pretty interesting, and there are a couple of good articles out there. I think that good cycling infrastructure can do a lot more to minimize rider risk than compulsory helmet use, but even with good infrastructure it makes sense to wear a helmet depending on the type of ride.

In my city we have lots of street level cycling lanes, some partitioned lanes with physical barriers between riders and traffic, and a large stretch of dedicated cycling and pedestrian paths along the lake. Personally, I would always wear a helmet in traffic even on the most casual of rides, and I think others should, too. Lots of people on bike-share bikes don't wear helmets in traffic. But on a certain level I'm going to let people choose how much risk they are willing to live with. The best things that a city can do to promote rider safety is to inform the biking public and to build cycle safe infrastructure.

Then there are the pedestrians that walk three abreast on the dedicated cycling paths and call you an a-hole when you call out a pass. That's a topic for another thread I guess...

The law here say 16 and under must wear a helmet. Saturday I saw a family riding bikes through my neighborhood - Mom and dad with no helmet, child about 12 on his own bike wearing a helmet, and a very small child in a bike carrier on the back of mom's bike not wearing a helmet.

I didn't say anything, but this didn't meet the common sense test in my book. I'm not even sure it is legal to not have a helmet on the toddler even if it technically wasn't riding a bike.

---

"...the street finds its own uses for things"