I feel the same way when driving a car, having this strap across my chest.. I would much rather fly through the window and let my brains scrape off the road...
On a serious note, i would also definitely wear a helmet. I know i might be contradicting my self. But i had a friend who borrowed my helmet on a run down the mountain. A snowboarder tried to turn around while seated, ending with him sliding down towards my mate, smashing the side off the his board into the helmet (my helmet) he was wearing.
I actually have the footage of the incident, it looks quite brutal.