I mean, it’s just a helmet. Sure, I lock it so you’d have to cut the strap to get it (thus rendering it largely useless without repair), but in general the theft rate of helmets is low enough that I can just eat the cost of buying a new one.
Not everyone lives in an area where that is true, nor can everyone just afford to replace $20 helmets on a regular basis.
Compulsory helmets just for cyclists is a bit arbitrary too, since pedestrians and car occupants would also benefit from helmets, and at least pedestrians are likely to encounter the same exact crash scenarios which cyclists encounter where helmets are necessary (e.g. pedestrians can also get hit by cars and flung a distance)
I realize I'm privileged in that I live in a low-crime city, but seriously, who is going to steal a $20 helmet which will have a broken strap?
It looks like new straps cost ~$8 on Amazon, so the helmet is worth at most $12. Which isn't nothing, but... unless you happen to need a helmet and the helmet just so happens to be the right size for your body, you'd need to sell it, and no one is going to pay full price for a used helmet. I'd be amazed if you got more than a couple dollars when all was said and done.
I suppose you could buy straps in bulk for much less money, but then you're basically setting up a helmet-stealing operation... it all just seems like so much work, for very little gain! If you're that desperate, wouldn't it make more sense to invest in wire cutters so you can steal the bikes themselves?
In the summer every morning I would see a bike locked up outside that had been they over night. One morning I saw the bike and all that was left of it was the frame. The saddle, handlebars, and wheels were all gone.
I agree that it's odd that people would steal these individual pieces, but it does happen. It reminds me of people only stealing 2 rims from a car.
That would imply that the people doing the stealing are thinking rationally and trying to maximize outcomes.
I've been in areas with large drug problems, and people steal weird things (and avoid stealing less weird things) all the time.
Also, generally speaking the more valuable things are the riskier they are. It's a lot easier to pawn some random bike helmet, but bikes have registration numbers, and you may need to enlist the help of a chop shop that's in on what you're doing.
