Does the nationwide "Click it or ticket" campaign not apply in PA? If a cop sees you not wearing your belt, whether or not you're doing anything else wrong, he'll pull you over and write a ticket. That's my understanding of it anyway.And capriceman, I never would call anyone stupid directly, but I just think that not wearing one is stupid, and most of the people that I know that refuse to wear them have that "I don't wanna follow the rules, helmets are for wimps" mentality, and that is stupid as well.
But I have heard the complaints about how it limits traffic noise and side vision, but I'm sure that there has to be way to get around that, and I'm sure that it'd be possible to design a helmet with those complaints in mind.
I have seen studies on this, credible or not, and cases in which the whiplash of your body going faster than your head are more rare than your head hitting the ground first, and even then breaking your neck to the point of quadraplegism is even more rare. Most motorcycle accidents where the rider dies from not wearing a helmet, the head trauma was determined as the main cause of death. Sure, your head is not likely to be the first thing to hit the ground (It would probably be your shoulders or your butt), but consider when bracing for an impact, your body will tense up, and then your neck isn't as likely to snap. Sure, not every accident is going to go like that, some people won't see it coming or won't be able to tense in time.
Also keep in mind that most vehicular accidents occur in town. Nobody's going to survive getting thown from your bike at freeway speeds, but at say 35 or 40mph on a city street, the chance of survival is a little friendlier with a helmet on.
Now, I'm not trying to change your mind of course (I wouldn't succeed anyway, and it isn't my place), but I am at least stating my place on this issue, as you did yours.