Today I was talking to my wife about riding and the different states that I have ridden in, the subject of helmets came up and whether or not it’s required that you wear a helmet. Illinois was the first state that I rode in and there is no helmet law, in fact the only requirement was eye protection. I was riding on my permit (which in IL means you always have to ride with a licensed rider during the day, no riding on the interstate, and no passengers); well I was riding without a helmet or eye protection and with someone on the back. I was pulled over by a cop who told me that I had to ride up to the next gas station and buy eye protection for my passenger and he or myself was going to give me a ticket. This example shows that in some states the laws are pretty loose for riders, which isn't always a bad thing but when we are talking about motorcycle safety, those who have been through the worst know its a big deal.
For years I would never wear a helmet, I wanted people to see who I was and I wanted to be completely free from any barrier. There were many times that while I was not wearing a helmet I had some close calls with going down. When I moved to California and re-enlisted into the Marines, not only was there a state law for wearing a helmet but also the Marines made you wear several different items of safety gear. It was at this time when I was in a bad accident and almost killed, when I landed on the ground after flying about 40 feet I smacked my helmet on the ground so hard that it knocked my visor off, scratched the crap out of my helmet, and knocked my vision blurry for almost 3 months. After I was released from the hospital I had to attend a rehab clinic in Long Beach for a couple weeks while I learned to walk and move around in my current state, (I was confined mostly to a wheel chair but I did have a contraption that allowed me to hop around on one foot while strapping my arms into some brackets to support them without putting weight on my wrists). While I was there I met another service member who had to have been in rehab for years. He was involved in a motorcycle accident however he wasn't wearing a helmet. I felt so bad for this guy and at the same time I was scared, I never used to wear a helmet and I was lucky that the time I did go down I was fully protected. This guy was confined to a wheel chair and was dependent on nurses to take care of him for the rest of his life; he was left to drool on himself and never to have a conversation with another human again. I have seen many people who have gone down but no one who has been that bad.
I debate with a lot of riders about wearing their helmets has they ride, my parents never liked it when I would go riding without wearing my helmet and now I know why. Most riders tell me they don’t wear helmets because it messes up their hair, others say they think its cooler to ride without one, saying things like “I’m not a pussy I don’t need a helmet.”
Take a look at my helmet and tell me if I was a pussy for wearing my helmet? This helmet is hard and made to withstand a heavy blow, your head is not so if a crash can do this to your helmet, then what do you think it can do to your face? Think about it. 
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