Helmet compulsory for e-bikes in 2022?
In many other countries you see cyclists riding with it: the bicycle helmet. Will there also be a helmet requirement for cyclists in the Netherlands?
Most wounds for which cyclists are treated in hospital are head injuries. It is therefore not illogical if the bicycle helmet is introduced. In many countries, such as Sweden, Spain and France, you already see cyclists with a bicycle helmet. It is mandatory there. The riders of a speed pedelec, the faster brother of the electric bicycle that can go 45 km per hour, must also wear a bicycle helmet.
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What are the rules for helmet use now?
At the moment, all motorcyclists and moped riders must wear a motorcycle helmet or moped helmet. Cyclists are exempt from the helmet requirement. Also electric bicycles. The exception are speed pedelecs, which are mopeds according to the law. Moped riders must wear a helmet on the road, but not on the cycle path.
A helmet requirement for moped riders also on bicycle paths
Moped riders ride a moped. That is a light moped, with which you can’t go faster than 25 km per hour. Unlike with an electric bicycle, you do not have to pedal with a moped. That is why the rules for the moped are stricter than those for the electric bicycle.
For example, you must have an insurance plate on the moped. There is also a helmet requirement for light mopeds when they are on the roadway.
But until now moped riders could ride on the cycle path without a helmet. That’s going to change now. From 1 January 2023, which will take less than a year, all moped riders must wear an approved moped helmet. Even when they ride on the bike path.
What should you pay attention to if you want to buy a good bicycle helmet?
To avoid legal regulations, it is best to buy a moped helmet or an approved speed pedelec bicycle helmet. You can recognize an approved moped and light-moped helmet by a circle with the code E4 in it. And how do you recognize an approved speed pedelec helmet? An approved speed pedelec helmet has the code of the NTA 8776 quality mark incorporated into the inside of the helmet. Unfortunately, speed pedelec helmets can only be worn on speed pedelecs. Approved motorcycle and moped helmets can be worn on all two-wheeled motor vehicles.
Will there also be a helmet requirement for electric bicycles?
Electric bicycles are becoming increasingly popular. So more accidents happen. The reason that the legislator is increasingly critical of the electric bicycle. But for the time being, there is no helmet requirement for electric bicycles, as is already the case for speed pedelecs, for example.
So for now you don’t have to worry about new rules if you buy or already have an electric bicycle. But that could very well change in the future. And a bicycle helmet is a lot safer. So that’s why it’s smart to think about a bicycle helmet. Because as is known, most of the wounds for which cyclists are treated after a traffic accident are head injuries. So even if you buy the helmet a little earlier, you won’t regret it.
