European helmets

We’ve been traveling around Europe a bit this holiday and spent a week in Rovinj in Croatia (lovely place.  Thoroughly recommend it)  Once again, the place is heaving with modern scooters (with a sprinkling of PXs and interestingly a generous helping of Renault 4s in remarkably good condition!)  However, what makes these scooter riders seem cooler than Ive noticed elsewhere is that they nearly all wear those tiny ‘skid-lid’ type helmets (you know the sort that look no more substantial than a tortoise shell).
I was quite excited by these helmets, particularly as you seem to be able to buy them just about anywhere - clothes shops, supermarkets, souvenir boutiques.  Despite the fact that these sorts of helmets are illegal in the UK, i thought that perhaps it might look cool to have one just hanging from the helmet hook on my own scooter, and so I went to look at some in a road-side market stall.  The stall-holder was very helpful;
Him:  “very good quality”
Me: “Yes they are great”
Him: “I do you a good deal.  Normally 250 kunas” (thats about £30)
Me:  “Thanks, but they are illegal in the UK”
Him: “For you, 200 Kunas” (23 quid)
Me:  “Thats great but we cant use them in the UK.  It is against the law”
Him:  “Yes, its the same everywhere in Europe”
Me: “Oh really?  All Europe?
Him:  “Oh yes.  Here in Croatia too!”
How cool is that - they just refuse to comply with the law and seem to get away with it!
Mind you, I really couldnt bear to even think about what it might feel like to come off a bike with nothing more than one of those and a bikini to protect you!