What difference will a helmet make in a serious motorcycle accident?

It's hard to beat the feeling of the wind in your face, at least if there aren't any bugs :) and helmets cut you off from that experience to some extent. But given everything we know - that's not enough reason to go without a helmet. There is a wealth of folklore about the disadvantages of helmets including that a helmet will contribute to breaking your neck (not true - those with helmets have fewer neck injuries), or that helmets cut off your ability to hear/see and avoid accidents (not true - those with helmets crash less frequently, perhaps because their eyes are more protected and they don't experience hearing fatigue in the same way).  We like the idea of riding without a helmet. It's just that it doesn't make sense. For more info about helmet safety, click here.