Mrs B insists I wear one and until recently, I always kept it on for the whole ride. Since coming off a few months ago and smashing the back of my head on the edge of the kerb, I was frightened into compliance.
This weekend though, the noise of the rain on it was getting on my tits, so I took it off and experienced helmet-free riding; twas a strangely liberating experience and in some ways, I felt more connected to what was going on around me - vision and audio was WAY better. Food for thought.
So - yes and no.
Bren