Yen Lin, 40, of Boston said he probably would not don the headgear, even if it was offered next to a Hubway station. "The helmet would destroy my hair'' during the daily work commute, he said. ---- Wow. If your hair can be 'destroyed' by a helmet, think of what happens when your head hits the pavement if someone bumps you with their car. My husband and I BOTH wear helmets every time we are on the bike. It doesn't matter if it's a 30 mile ride or a ten minute ride to work.

Isn't it relevant to report how many of those Hubway cyclists have been injured as a result of not wearing a helmet? The answer, I believe, is none. Meaning that the import of the story is: a bunch of people aren't wearing helmets and as a result nothing happened.

Having been a driver, biker, scooter driver and a walking delivery person too for quite a few years, not having a helmet might seem like a great idea for short trips, but like drivers in general, I have a feeling most accidents happen on the short trips. The question everyone has to ask every time they ride..."Do I feel lucky today?"

Does the rental bike rider who wears no helmet lose the right to sue for the infliction of head injuries if such wounds result from, say, the rental bike rider colliding with a car door being opened? Or do bicylists think they should be "victims" in any mishap involving a bicycle and a motor vehicle?

I'm a woman and a daily Hubway rider. If I forget my helmet, I don't ride.

Cyclists riding without helmets are a pet peeve of mine. Accidents are called that because you don't expect them to happen, and they can happen to anyone. I don't care how slow you're cycling or how short the trip. My head has been saved twice by a bike helmet. Glad to see the Globe publish some actual statistics on head injuries.

Just one more thing to think about. Better to get electric assist on these bikes. More bikes, less cars. Less cars the better. Cars the main issue. Too many in city. Cars best for traveling on motorway. Perfect for trip to NY. Useless in town.

I agree. Relationship between helmets and accidents not evident. Safe riders don't have to worry about average outcomes of people who both have accidents and don't wear helmets.

I hope the city adopts the helmet hub and rents helmets where they rent bikes. It's really dangerous to have all of these people riding around without helmets. Why wait until someone gets hurts to offer the helmet rental...do it now.