I'm from Michigan, and the repeal of the helmet law was a welcome change as far as I'm concerned. You won't hear me say anything like "helmets cause more injuries than they prevent", but I will argue that they shouldn't make laws to protect me from myself. I've been riding since I was three years old.....no joke. My dad raced bikes when I was young, and always drilled into our heads that helmets and long pants were always a necessity.....no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I was always an advocate for helmet use, until I started riding on the street. While I understand that a full face helmet is supposed to be the safest way to ride, I didn't like the extra weight being on my neck, didn't like the drag created by the wind, and absolutely hated the lack of peripheral vision. I've been using non-DOT "novelty" helmets for the last several years. I have no assumption that the helmet I wear would protect my noggin in any substantial way, but it's enough to keep the fuzz off my back. But, as mentioned above......it's a matter of personal choice. I always choose to wear my seat belt when in my car, but I don't believe there should be a law governing it. These laws only exist to generate revenue for the state and local authorities.
And along with what TIF said about the irresponsible reporting: We had a story a while back where a man and woman were in an accident, and, sadly, neither made it. The reporter was very quick to point out that neither were wearing helmets.....but failed to mention that they had both been decapitated.
Oddly enough, when someone dies in an accident and they WERE wearing their helmet, nobody mentions that fact.
I crashed my Softail back in April.....went down pretty hard, $7400+ in damages to the bike. I went to the doctor to get checked out because I was certain that I had broken my shoulder and collar bone. Everyone in that office, upon learning why I was there, asked if I had been wearing my helmet. To which I replied in the affirmative, followed by the explanation that it was irrelevant, since at no point during the accident did I hit my head...on anything.....there weren't even any scratches on the helmet. But they all responded with, "Thank god you were wearing the helmet."..................seriously??
Anyway....end of rant.