Entirely anecdotal, of course, but a few years ago my front wheel slipped on some wet leaves and I went head-first into the kerb. There was a visible chunk taken out of the foam padding around my temple where it impacted, and the top of the helmet cracked because the force of the impact was so hard.
I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that had I not been wearing a good helmet, that fall would have been fatal.
Just as I won’t ride in a four-wheeled vehicle without a safety belt, I won’t ride a two-wheeled vehicle without armour.
