I never said a helmet would cause me to veg out, I think a helmet would keep me alive but paralized in some crashes. Becomming a carrot doesn't worry me because in that case, I'll never know what happened anyway. It's being concious and aware and having bits and pieces of my life or my body taken away that I can't or won't accept or deal with. I could always be afraid that the worst will happen and not ride my bike but it's silly to live in fear of things that may or may not happen. That'd be like refusing to walk down to the corrner store because a bus might jump the curb and kill me. Unlike the riders that say, "well I just just don't fall off or lay my bike down," I know and accept the possible outcomes and concequences of not wearing a helmet when I ride. I have no illusions that I might crash due to my own mistake or someone elses mistake or negligence and that's okay with me. If it kills me at least I had some measure input as to how I went out. We should all be lucky enough to meet our end on our own terms. Besides, what's life without free choice?