I see the helmets as a protection, really.

Protection against what exactly?

I'm like you, I have always *instinctively* felt that helmets must be A Good
Thing, because it *must* be a good idea to have all that padding on your
head, right?

Since joining this newsgroup I have somewhat revised my opinion so that I
now trust my instinct less and the facts and evidence more.

I think we should trust people a bit more, that's all.

I *trust* you have some hard evidence to back up the claims you have made in
your posts - including the ones about car seatbelts and motorcycle helmets.
Yes?

d.