Matthew Modine - Modine Hits Back At Bike Helmet Critics

Actor MATTHEW MODINE has hit back at cycling organisations who slam him for biking around New York without a helmet - insisting he's safer without one.

Modine, the founder of pro-cycling organisation Bicycle for a Day, has used two wheels as his primary form of transportation since moving to the Big Apple from Utah in 1980.

But the 50 year old has come under fire from organisations including the League of American bicyclists for serving as a reckless example on the road, even though there is no federal law in the U.S. requiring adults to wear helmets.

He tells New York magazine, "I use the bike as someone uses a car - to get around... I get s**t for that a lot of times because I don't assume that I'm going to get hurt. Should we wear helmets when we walk down the sidewalk? I think that people that wear helmets, cars are a little more aggressive with them."

And Modine is so against taking the safety precaution, he admits even the March (09) death of close friend actress Natasha Richardson - who suffered a brain trauma while taking skiing lessons in Canada after declining to wear a helmet - hasn't swayed his view.

He adds, "She was a great friend of mine. She barely banged her head and it cost her life. I think it gave us all pause. Think how many times you've banged your head in your lifetime... I think that biking is the closest we come to flying."