Aye, there&#x27;s the rub. I would not call myself a bicyclist, and certainly not a <i>dedicated</i> one.<p>I just ride bikes when it&#x27;s convenient: there&#x27;s a pretty good public transport network around my city, you can walk short distances, and car traffic is also reasonable; biking supplements these three options very nicely, esp. now that there&#x27;s a bike-sharing thing in the city (unlock a bike via an app, ride it wherever, lock it via the app again, minimal fuss). Lugging a helmet around, just in case I should decide to use a bike, is rather inconvenient (I tried). If there were a mandatory helmet law, it would certainly increase the gap between &quot;casual rider&quot; and &quot;dedicated bicyclist,&quot; driving out people like me.<p>(OTOH, if I&#x27;m on a bike <i>trip</i>, I do have my helmet, as I usually go beyond paved streets, longer distances and probably higher speeds. Different tools for different purposes.)<p>TL;DR: assuming &quot;bicycling requires dedication&quot; reduces ridership <i>by definition</i>.