"I am from the Netherlands, and I do a lot of biking. like most Dutch, I do not wear a helmet. I do not even know how protective it is. (it is mainly used by tourists I believe) What is actually protecting our cyclists, is the national attitude. If you hit a biker in my country, even if he or she disregarded the red light, you are in deep trouble unless you are a biker yourself. If you sit in your air conditioned car, protected from any external danger, you are supposed to give special attention and care to those who are on the road unprotected. That is what we all believe, especially if the weather is bad."