The rise of helmet use

It had been about six years since I started religiously wearing a helmet to ski and bike when a doctor and a paramedic told my mom that I might not be alive if I was not wearing a helmet. I was biking home from work on my triathlon bike when I was 18. I was going through a green light when a car made a lefthand turn without seeing me. I slammed on my brakes, but it was too late. I flipped shoulder first into the car breaking his windshield. My pedals unclipped from my shoes sending my bike to the other side of the road while I did a flip off the car, landed on m head and rolled for a few metres on the concrete. A passerby luckily called an ambulance which rushed me to the hospital. I needed two stitches in my leg. I flew a few metres after the car came to a complete stop, landed on my head and only needed stitches in my leg. And some people say they don't really need a helmet.
This is just one story from biking that happened to be quite serious, but I can't even count the number of falls I've had on skis where I pop an advil and shake it off for a few days - falls that could have been bad news. When I look at the scratches in my ski helmet, I can't believe I beat some of those trees.
I bring up this story to show the importance of wearing a helmet. In the past dozen years, I can count on one hand the number of times I've skied or biked without a helmet and they were all working days. I make it a policy to not go on challenging terrain if someone I'm skiing with isn't wearing a helmet.
Most resorts, such as Whistler, require everyone under 18 to have one on. A study done a few years ago suggests that one can reduce your chance of a head injury by almost 60%.
This is because most fatalities on the hill are due to multiple injuries. An impact to the head is usually the number one cause of death. Another finding shows that helmet use is rising about five per cent per year and highest among children, experienced skiers and males.
However, hospitals such as Seattle Children's Hospital feel the need to remind people that wearing a helmet isn't a license to go faster.
I have definitely noticed that more people are wearing helmets, especially ones that want to ski with me. However, one of my friend's wasn't lucky enough to jump on the helmet bandwagon earlier. I can't help but think if it would have helped.