When David Hollister introduced a seat belt bill in Michigan in the early 1980s that imposed a fine for not buckling up, the state representative received hate mail comparing him to Hitler. At the time, only 14 percent of Americans regularly wore seat belts, even though the federal government required lap and shoulder belts in all new cars starting in 1968.

Drivers and passengers were arguing that seat belts were uncomfortable and restrictive, but the uproar was mostly ideological.

Similarly, growing up in Northern Europe in the 1990s, I constantly heard kids on my block say that only stupid dorks wore helmets when riding their bikes. “What, can’t you drive?”, they’d ask, preparing a heavy barrage of insults.

But just like seat belts, this gear is often the deciding factor that separates life and death. To remind you that putting on a helmet is the smartest thing you can do, we at Bored Panda compiled a list of scary accidents that could’ve been much worse if it wasn’t for them.

Continue scrolling to check out the pics, and if you need more proof, fire up our earlier publication on the topic here.

#1 German-Supplied Helmet Stopped A Ricochet 7.62x54mm Bullet Used By Various Russian Weapons – Not All Donated Equipment Is Junk, Even If It’s Old By Modern Nato Standards

Image credits: RallyToTheColors

#2 Kevlar Helmet Of An Orlando Police Officer Who Was Hit In Today’s Shooting

Image credits: OrlandoPolice

#3 Another Reason To Wear A Helmet

Image credits: imgur.com

#4 Parents, Please Make Sure Your Children Wear Helmets! They Do Work

Image credits: lukestauntaun

#5 Always Wear A Helmet

Image credits: Rosey454

#6 Reminder To Always Wear A Helmet

Image credits: sorot92

#7 The Guy Wearing This Survived (Wear Your Helmet On Your Motorcycle, Kids)

Image credits: Grabapanda

#8 Two Years Ago Today, This Dot Certified Helmet Absorbed A 50mph Impact And Saved My Life

On this day two years ago, this DOT-certified helmet saved my life. It successfully absorbed the majority of a 50mph impact on pavement. There is an indent on the front left that would have surely been a fractured skull without it, and numerous scrapes around the top and chin that would have left me maimed if it did not stay on my head throughout the entirety of the crash. Fortunately, my mind and body are working properly today because of this life-saving equipment.

If you are a rider, I encourage you to own and wear one of these every time you ride. I recommend one with a face shield or guard. If you know someone who rides, please encourage them to wear one.

Image credits: MrBuffaloSauce

#9 This Is Why You Wear A Helmet

Image credits: Kolafie

#10 Helmet Donated From Community Non-Profit Saved TDF Member From Sniper Shot

Image credits: BigFaceCoffeeShop

#11 Romain Grosjean Showed How His Helmet Turned Out After The Accident In Bahrain

Image credits: elmejordelresto

#12 The Soldier Receives His Mounted Helmet That Took A 7.62 Round At 20 Feet While Wearing It

Image credits: Miguenzo

#13 Will Always Wear A Helmet From Now On

Was biking on the 4th of July and people were setting off fireworks. The next thing I know I hear a massive explosion in my ear and my head feels hot. Turns out a pretty big firework somehow went off right above my head. Had minor hearing loss for a day.

Image credits: Pman168

#14 This Is Why You Should Wear Helmets. The Helmet Took The Hit And I Am Okay. Live To Ski Another Day

Image credits: Mikeybdabbed

#15 Daily Reminder To Wear A Helmet

Image credits: DailyReminderToWearAHelmet

#16 Always Wear Your Helmets, I Don’t Want To Think About What Would Have Happened If I Wasn’t Wearing Mine. Stay Safe

Image credits: ctica

#17 Always Wear Your Helmets Cheese Bags And Never Trust Ice Patches

Image credits: Mihu_Hyeok

#18 Here Is The Helmet Of A Guy Who Went Head-First Into The Base Of A Lift Tower And Walked Away With A Minor Concussion. Wear A Helmet

Image credits: holpucht

#19 Wear Your Helmets. This One May Have Saved My Life

Image credits: French87

#20 Can Anyone Tell Me Why Anything Other Than Full Face Helmets Are A Good Idea?

Image credits: myotheralt

#21 Guy Survives Round To The Head Thanks To A Kevlar Helmet

Image credits: XiKiilzziX

#22 A Helmet Will Save A Life Or A Face

Image credits: wizbow

#23 This Helmet Was Shot By A Tear Gas Grenade During The Protest In Iraq

Image credits: Mohamadil

#24 Daily Reminder To Always Wear A Helmet

Image credits: jimboy6996

#25 Motorcycle Helmet Post Crash

Image credits: rinova

#26 Reminder To Always Wear A Helmet

Image credits: _Captain_Future_

#27 There Were A Few Bugs On My Ride Tonight

Image credits: SLCPHARAOH

#28 My Mom Braked For 60 Foot And Then Had A Stroke. She Tumbled And Rolled 70 Feet After And Got Scratches, But That Could Have Been So Much Worse

Image credits: MetalPetal99

#29 Wear A Helmet Please

Image credits: FerbIsMySpiritAnimal

#30 Wear Your Helmet Kids

Image credits: kazlx

#31 Just A Friendly Reminder To Wear A Helmet. Better The Helmet Crack Open Than My Skull Is How I See It

Image credits: SimpleChill44

#32 Friendly PSA To Wear Your Helmet Kids. Trees Are Hard. That Would’ve Been My Skull

Image credits: CaptainLarryLobster

#33 I’m Glad I Got A Full Face Helmet

Image credits: LordHamHam

#34 My Dad’s Motorcycle Helmet Deflected A Bullet

The author said: “He was shot at during an attempted carjacking while riding last night. He was shot in the leg and the helmet. He’ll recover since the bullet that hit his leg didn’t hit anything important. He was riding a vintage Harley down the block and some guy got out of his car and pointed the gun at my dad. Dad said he popped the clutch and made the guy stumble and that’s when he got shot. Dad did return fire but didn’t know if he hit the guy. He rode away and called the police once he was safe”

Image credits: Firehawksmom

#35 This Is Why I Wear A Helmet

Image credits: aquayle

#36 This Is Why You Wear A Full Face Helmet With Visor

Image credits: DrIblis

#37 Wear A Helmet

Image credits: rob_the_flip

#38 My Friend Also Was Saved By His Helmet Recently

Image credits: but_how_do_i_go_fast

#39 Here’s The Helmet That Saved My Life

Image credits: scratchedstopsign

#40 Daily Reminder To Wear Your Gear, My Buddy’s Helmet After His Crash. No Head Injuries

Image credits: digitaliceberg

#41 Cyclist Arrived In ED With This Helmet – Surprisingly Fine. Imagine His Skull Without A Helmet

Image credits: benjibean

#42 This Helmet Saved My Life On The Brooklyn Bridge When I Crashed Into Wandering Tourists On The Bike Lane

It’s a Giro Cormick MIPS. It did it’s job but I did pass out (docs thought no concussion). Is there an even safer helmet? I’m thinking maybe Giro Aether or Bell Z20 both MIPS. Thoughts?

Image credits: marcio-k

#43 Broken Elbow, But Helmet Saved My Noggin! Grateful I Was Wearing One

Image credits: kwphot0

#44 Wear Your Helmet

Image credits: Valanor

#45 This Helmet Saved A 5-1/2 Year Old Involved In A Collision Saturday From A Significant Brain Injury Or Worse. Helmets Are Good

Image credits: skiingineer2

#46 This, Kids, Is Why We Wear Helmets. Stacked It At 43 Km/H, Helmet Took The Brunt

Image credits: JayTheFordMan

#47 This Is One Lucky Guy

Image credits: ShadowWarrior6

#48 Reminder #122,824 To Wear A Helmet Folks

Image credits: pakattak

#49 Those Scratches Could Have Been Serious Trauma And Damage To My Face, Jaw, And Head If Had It Not Been For The Helmet. I Wish More People Use Helmets

Image credits: unculturedalienrebel

#50 When Your Helmet Saves You, But Not In The Way You Expect

Image credits: 0716718227

#51 This Helmet Saved My Life This Weekend. I Only Bought And Started Using A Helmet Two Weeks Ago. Please Always Wear One

Image credits: iLoveLamp427

#52 Helmet May Have Saved My Life Last Night

Image credits: caallen123

#53 I Won’t Be Using It Again, But I Now Love This Helmet

Image credits: knows_a_hebrew

#54 Guy Fell 20m In Scotland A Few Weeks Ago. Helmet Saved His Life, Only Needed 4 Stitches In The Back Of His Head, Broken Ribs, Broken Vertebrae, Bruised Lungs, And Some Bumps. Wear A Helmet

Image credits: humming-bee

#55 A Reminder That Helmets Save Lives

Image credits: tehhellerphant

#56 Just A Reminder As To Why You Should Always Wear A Helmet

Image credits: Socrtea5e

#57 Thank God For Helmets

Image credits: SmeeeeHeeeee

#58 My Helmet Just Saved My Life

Image credits: litalela

#59 Is Your Life Worth More Than $40?

Image credits: TamiK_Colorado

#60 So Uhhh Helmets Yeah?

Image credits: purplechemicals

#61 Flying Debris Broke My Visor

Image credits: Hemank_fpl

#62 I Broke This One Good Along With My Collarbone

Image credits: coastlongboarding

#63 Wear A Helmet Kids

Image credits: AWhistlingSnail

#64 Wear Your Helmets. Mine Saved My Life Tonight

Image credits: TheMightyDuckGrylls

#65 I Love Helmets

Image credits: grantn2000

#66 This Is From A Crash In Oak Bay. That Is Why I Always Wear A Helmet, And So Do My Kids

Image credits: ray_oak

#67 I Got Hit By A Car. Chances Are I Wouldn’t Have Made It If I’d Not Been Wearing A Good Helmet. Don’t Be A Helmet And Wear One

Image credits: PullerRichard

#68 I Stumbled Onto A Couple Of Pictures From When One Of My Helmets Broke. The Broken Collar Bone And Broken Knee Guard Were Bonuses

Image credits: mtbdarin1

#69 Thank Goodness I Wore A Helmet And Shades

Image credits: bardicacademic

#70 As Someone Who Was Anti-Helmet For Years, I’d Like To Thank My Wife For Insisting I Wear One. That Would Have Been My Head

Image credits: barriedalenick

#71 The Helmet Possibly Saved Me From Serious Harm

Image credits: robbopalmer

#72 Wear A Helmet. This Dent Would’ve Been In My Skull

Image credits: depinthewoods

#73 I Hit A Huge Swarm Of Bugs On My First Ride With My New Helmet

Image credits: zawman3

#74 Not The Most Dramatic Post-Crash Helmet Picture, But Posting For Commenters In My Other Post Who Were Questioning The Value Of Wearing A Helmet

Image credits: garthreddit

#75 Helmets Good. Concussion Bad

Image credits: jonnyom

#76 This Is My Favorite Helmet Because It Saved My Life

Image credits: Right_All_The_Time

#77 My Son’s Helmet After We Took A Tumble This Afternoon. He Is Totally Fine, But I Hate To Think What Would Have Happened If He Wasn’t Wearing One

Image credits: N011Y

#78 Glad I Didn’t Wear My Open-Face Helmet

Image credits: VWMat

#79 Daily Reminder To Always Wear A Helmet

Image credits: fuzzypeachtree

#80 Wear Your Helmets People

I was out riding on a road I have been on many times before. But last Thursday 5/16 I was hit by a pickup truck. I do not remember the accident but someone who witnessed it said I flew a ways and landed on my back and head. I spent a day in the hospital and now just a little banged up. I believe if it wasn’t for the helmet it would have been much worse.

Image credits: Bknuck

#81 I Wear A Helmet All The Time, But I’m Still Super Thankful I Had This On. It Saved Me (Or My Family) A Ton Of Grief

Image credits: BlueBird1800

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