Personal responsibility includes not swallowing liberal (i.e., "worldview founded on ideas of liberty") excuses.

Myth: Helmets impair hearing and sight

Fact: "The helmet affects my peripheral vision" and "I can't hear as well" are two common myths neither of which is supported with scientific data. Normal peripheral vision is between 200° and 220°. Federal safety standards require that helmets provide 210° of vision. Over 90 percent of crashes happen within a range of 160° (with the majority of the remainder occurring in rear-end collisions), so it's clear that helmets do not affect peripheral vision or contribute to crashes. Hearing is not affected either. Helmets reduce the loudness of noises, but do not affect the rider's ability to distinguish between sounds. The University of Southern California conducted 900 on-scene, in-depth investigations of motorcycle crash scenes, and could not uncover a single case in which a rider could not detect a critical traffic sound. Some studies indicate that helmets are useful in reducing wind noise and protecting hearing.

Common Myths About Motorcycle Helmets
www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/safebike/myths.html

And juries don't swallow such liberal excuses, on the day you try to sue somebody for your possible CNS injuries that could have been prevented with a crash helmet.

If you were involved in a motorcycle crash and you weren’t wearing a helmet, you can still bring a lawsuit for your personal injuries. However, not wearing a helmet can make a difference in how much money you receive, if it can be shown that not wearing your helmet was also a partial cause (or aggravating factor) to your injuries.

Motorcycle accident injuries such as traumatic brain injury and spinal injuries are the most common examples in which a defense lawyer or auto insurance company will argue that the motorcyclist was at fault for choosing not to wear a helmet. A jury in a motorcycle accident trial would be asked to allocate the amount of comparative negligence they feel the motorcyclist is responsible for. (Comparative negligence reduces the amount of damages a plaintiff can recover, based upon the degree the plaintiff’s own negligence contributed to the cause of the injury.)

Too many juries have been less than forgiving in this regard. Experienced motorcycle accident attorneys will tell you of countless examples in which juries awarded compensation to a seriously injured motorcycle rider for a fractured arm, for instance, but gave nothing for TBI or back injuries because they were punishing the motorcycle rider for going without a crash helmet.

Motorcycle Accident – No Helmet | Michigan Auto Law
http://www.michiganautolaw.com/motorcycle-accident/helmet-laws/

Liberals just can't learn the hard won lesson that a jury of your hard-working peers will expect you to demonstrate personal responsibility before you can just go suing everybody—for the problems you heaped upon your own head.


Edit: I had a little fun with the old painting, 'The Jury' by John Morgan 1861, Bucks County Museum, England
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wasps

Automobile blind spots are caused by obstructions such as the A-pillar and B-pillar, which has nothing to do with peripheral vision.

Tried that same 3/4 helmet again today, without any rain or thunderstorms interfering.  In my half shell a quick 1/4 turn to the side lets me see what is coming up at the 4 and 8 positions, in the 3/4 shell it requires almost a 90 degree swiveling.

The helmet in question sucks, it is getting demolished. Fulmer AF S75 purchased in December of 2007.

I've owned over 100 street motorcycles in the past 27 years, if I have a working bike, I do not drive, anywhere, any weather conditions except ice. I've put 4900+ mostly commuter miles on my 2003 Savage since mid-April of this year. Would have been higher if my metal lined shoulder hadn't forced me into a car (with front wheel drive and slushomatic no less) for about 3 weeks. Combined commuting and fun riding saw 44K miles in 18 months on my next to last real motorcycle (VN800A). That is after 2 surgeries to remove chunks of bone and disc at 2 different levels (both times) in my lumbar spine.

I'll stick with half shells until the temps dip into the 20s or lower for the ride home (between 2300 and 0000 hours). Since I'm forced to wear a lid in this state.