The following paragraphs were written by Peter Fassnacht, former vice-president at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, to try and dispel some of the more common myths. Helmets cause neck injuries. Furthermore, researchers have shown that helmeted riders suffer fewer neck injuries than those without. Helmets also do not prevent a rider from rotating the head freely to observe traffic, and their weight is easily accommodated by neck muscles throughout regular use. Helmets impair hearing.
Helmets actually do affect a rider's ability to hear.
But make no mistake, they do not prevent a rider from hearing. Wearing a properly fitted helmet can actually improve hearing by streamlining the head and ear. This substantially reduces wind noise, thereby allowing the rider to hear other sounds. A further explanation. If the sound of an emergency vehicle, car horn or even the sound of a running automobile is louder than the sound of the rider's exhaust, wind noise and general traffic noise, then it will still be louder than other sounds when the rider is wearing a helmet.