How often do you wear a helmet on the road?

[WJS26]

I have to say, the factory gun sight shields work great! At 70mph I can wear my hat and it stays on! Get some buffeting at that speed though.
I will usually wear a helmet for extended drives.
I enjoy the car more without the full windshield.

[SteveTheMechanic]

Always

[Mitchell]

I did build some headrests. They're molded to the shape of the seat, 2" of foam, and vinyl covers. They're pretty awesome, but the upholstery work wasn't cheap, and I can't sew. I can have more built if there's interest, it'd take a couple weeks for me to put them together. Should be $180 shipped for a pair, but I think if I get a few people interested, I could push the upholstery guy's price down probably $20-40 cheaper per pair.

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[Bravo25]

Looks good!

[timcking]

I think you raise a valid issue with questioning using a helmet. I purchased dedicated helmets for use with my Atom. They are an open-face m/c design with fold-down visors. I always wear them for the face and eye protection, but also to protect my head in an accident. With the seat and particularly the airbox hoop, I think head protection is advisable.

Admittedly, driving an Atom on the street definitely compromises your safety compared to a normal automobile. My biggest concern is being struck from behind and forced into a vehicle in front, causing the Atom to "submarine" underneath it. I've thought about adding a roll-cage to the existing roll bar, but that's really a path I don't want to go down.

As with any activity, you balance a variety of factors to reach point you're comfortable with.

[jesse@tmi]

I also wear to avoid answering boorish questions like "How much did your car cost?" when stopped at lights.

Ugh, I HATE this. I don't have any problem answering questions about the car like, "is it fast, have you raced it, is it street legal" or even dealing with obnoxious people who just want to comment with "you're missing some of your car", but when people ask how much it costs, I just say, "It was allot". I've actually had a few dumbasses respond to that with comments like "I know it's allot but how much is allot?" Then I say, "I said allot to be considerate in hopes you would get the hint that I'm not going to answer that question".

I found that having the Atom brings people out and they are curious about the car. You have to be accommodating to a large extent when you have this type of car.

Two people have asked me what kind of fuel economy I get! Oh, you assume I was torn between the go-kart car or a Prius? I've had the cost question twice, and I said, "probably more than you'd think, but worth every penny." My neighbor won't let it go, since he thinks I'm the cheapest person alive based on my daily driver is a smashed-up $1500 POS that I've never washed in the three years I've owned it.

I can't tell you how much I dread the "how much does it cost" question, literally all unsolicited conversations seem to start that way...

I'm doing anywhere from 15-20K road miles yearly (between the Atom and Nomad) and have worn a helmet once due to 20° weather. All of our cars have windscreens mind you, so it may be a necessity for those who don't. With the windscreen, the car feels like a convertible at speed (no buffeting) and, with the laminated safety glass design, I feel just as secure in it as my regular car.