To DOT or not to DOT (give me a better option)

Just looking for some opinions here. While I do ride most of the time with a helmet, it is usually not a DOT rated one (Personal preference), but also a belief that with the amount of technology that is in the market place today there has to be a better product out there than something that meets a standard that has not been updated in years. Helmets for most every other sport have changed significantly in this time. It just seems that the basic formate of Styrofoam and plastic (as most DOT helmets are) cannot be the best product to protect my head. There has to be something out there that is comfortable (relative term) and provides better protection.