When I have a full
backpack, and making my
transition between
classes, it is always a choice of holding my
helmet in my arms, and wearing it atop my head.
The
benefits of the
former are that it is more comfortable to hold a helmet, that it keeps the
hair one step closer to its
initial state, and that one doesn't look like one
needs it to
navigate the
halls of one's
college.
The benefits of the
latter are that it is a
hands-free method of
transportation, and that it makes one readily
identifiable.
Somebody told me today that there was something wrong with my helmet; the hard plastic casing had come off some months ago, leaving just the dense styrofoam interior. The concern over my safety among those present was rather high. On my way home, my chain snapped within a block from the school. I had to push my bike up the hill, helmet on my head. For my own part, the choice is almost always to wear it. It identifies me as a cyclist, and more frequently brings up the cycling option in others' minds.