Bike helmet necessity is a signal that the local government has failed to make the streets safe. Helmet use is near non-existent in countries such as The Nethe

Bike helmet necessity is a signal that the local government has failed to make the streets safe. Helmet use is near non-existent in countries such as The Netherlands and Denmark, and yet cyclists in those countries are dramatically safer than cyclists than the USA. Essentially the safety gain achieved by using a helmet is utterly dwarfed by the safety gains that result from separated bike lanes and high quality cycling infrastructure.