When I chat with people from countries where motorcycle helmets are required by law, a very easy way to blow their minds is to inform them that here in the US, we don't have any kind of federal helmet law.
In our country, it's left to individual states to decide. At the time of writing, 19 out of 50 US states (plus the District of Columbia) currently require all motorcyclists to wear helmets.
My home state, Illinois, isn't one of them. Since I'm ATGATT in general, I wear a helmet every time I ride, even if it's just to the gas station. But in my state, the only legal requirement is eye protection. Goggles, sunglasses, or even regular eyeglasses are all considered as adequate options to satisfy the legal requirements of the Land of Lincoln.
