Mick F wrote:I wear one when I go on "rides". I hurtle down hills and generally have a good time, but if I'm pootling to the village, I don't wear one and neither do I wear any other cycling gear.
Understandable, but actually quite odd. Helmets are designed for impacts around 12mph. One might argue that they have a chance of helping on the pootle and not much on the "ride", so you should do it the other way around*.
* Of course, as I have pointed out before, the vertical speed in a fall will be the same whether you are pootling or not, but it's still the case that it makes more sense to use a helmet the slower you are going...