Before moving to Oxford nearly 20 years ago, I hadn’t ridden since leaving school. In those early days I was, I confess, something of a zealot.

Resenting the pollution from a million cars on my 10-mile daily commute, I started wearing a mini-gas mask device. It looked ridiculous, was hard to breathe hard through, made my face hot and sweaty, and it dripped condensation – or saliva.

When I discovered it didn’t offer anything like the protection you’d want, I ditched it. Instead, I became a fanatical helmet wearer. I would feel slightly naked and rather guilty riding bare-headed. In time, I discovered that helmets aren’t all they’re cracked up to be (no pun intended), offering limited protection against light impact. Per kilometres cycled v kilometres walked, you’re actually safer cycling than walking. Yet there’s no such thing as a walking helmet, and you don’t get ambulance staff criticising pedestrian victims of car crashes for not wearing helmets. Cycling simply looks more dangerous than it is.

Except for kids, who are more fragile and less road-safe than adults, wearing a helmet should be up to an individual and their riding style. I don’t always bother wearing a helmet around town; usually when riding fast on country roads; and for mountain biking, always.

Once, rolling at a modest 15mph down a steep, root-strewn trail, I overdid the front brake and cartwheeled head over heels into a stout trunk – head first. My head ached a lot and my handlebars were twisted, but I survived, thanks to the helmet.

Cowley Road is, in my opinion – and experience – a place for helmets. Tailing a bus up Cowley Road, I had a momentary lapse – checking out the bikes in BeeLine’s window.

When I faced forwards again, the bus was at a standstill five metres in front of me. I hit the brakes hard at 20mph. The next thing I knew, passersby were scraping me off Cowley Road. I hadn’t hit the bus but, in another case of unexpected cartwheeling, my helmeted head had met the ground. I was bruised and embarrassed, but alive.

A traffic psychologist from Bath University has done an interesting study into helmets. Dr Ian Walker used a bicycle with an ultrasonic distance sensor to record data from more than 2,500 overtaking motorists in Salisbury and Bristol. He spent half the time wearing a cycle helmet and half the time bare-headed. Drivers were twice as likely to pass too close when he was wearing the helmet.

Dr Walker said. “Drivers [may] believe cyclists with helmets are more serious, experienced and predictable than those without, [so they] leave less space.”

Dr Walker then donned a long wig to see whether there was any difference when drivers thought they were passing a female cyclist. Whilst wearing the wig, drivers passed him with an average of 14cm more space.

That’s it! I’m binning the helmet and the Bradley Wiggins sideburns. I’m getting myself a long, curly wig.