Nah, this was super common when I was growing up. We all used to commute by motorcycle, even though we had a family car. We did wear helmets. I know it’s still common all over the world. I’m laughing now, cause my mother was super protective when I was inside the house, but of course riding on a motorcycle with a cheap plastic helmet was no worry for her. We thankfully never had an accident.
I live in Europe and the whole post resonated hard with me. Not sure in which lala land you live in.