Talking about increasing bicycle helmet use is a big taboo in the Netherlands. There is a lot of cycling research being done in the Netherlands but much of the publications don’t really make the news abroad. For example, one thing I am starting to notice is a push to wearing bicycle helmet use in the Netherlands. Are the times achanging?
Read more: Dutch health experts increasingly vocal about helmet useNo one really ever wanted to touch ‘let’s talk bike helmets’ with a nine foot pole in that small bike friendly nation with nearly 18 million residents, but as the number of cyclists dying in traffic is higher than car occupants now, and doctors facing an increasing number of the elderly getting in serious accidents, the discussion behind the dikes is gearing up.
Some numbers
In 2021, the Netherlands witnessed 582 road deaths, which was 28 less than the year before. The majority of those road deaths were cyclists and car occupants: 207 vs. 175.
However, the situation took a turn for the worse in 2022 with the number of Dutch traffic deaths skyrocketing to a shocking 745, which is 163 more than in 2021. This means that the number of road deaths is back to the level of 2009. Nearly 40% of the road deaths were cyclists and about 30% were car occupants. By age, 54% of all traffic deaths were people aged 60 years and above, and 23 children died in traffic (not necessarily on a bike).
Just as an FYI, Canada had 1630 roads deaths in 2021, 44 were cyclists and 280 were pedestrians.
500 cyclists didn’t come home in 2 years
If no one bikes in a country, you obviously have zero cycling deaths. It is important to note that numbers depend on how mobile a certain age group is. We also can’t just compare countries based on numbers. Even when you look at traffic deaths per 100.000 residents, you can’t compare. There are many variables, such as percentage and numbers of people cycling, cycling infrastructure or the lack thereof, maximum speeds, road design etc. But 207 cycling deaths in 2021 and 290 in 2022 means that just under 500 cyclists in the Netherlands didn’t come home in the last two years. Additionally, many people suffer from permanent damage. Those are still significant numbers.
Did you know that a traffic death is internationally defined as “someone who was involved in a collision on a public road, with at least one moving vehicle involved and who dies within 30 days of the effects of that collision, provided it isn’t suicide“?
High rate among aging cyclists
One of the areas where several Dutch think quick improvements can be made is convincing more people to wear a helmet. As you can read in the article below, among cycling fatalities, three quarters were over 60 years old. So this is a group that the Dutch Institute for Scientific Research on Road Safety (SWOV) is starting to focus on.
Doctors for Safe Cycling promote helmet use
In 2021, a Dutch think tank, Doctors for Safe Cycling was launched, now supported by 11 scientific and medical organisations. To give this issue a bit more oomph, someone in the Netherlands invented a National Helmet Day during the third week of April. Given that seniors are more vulnerable and probably also more open to living a few more years in their twilight years, this group is currently approached to consider helmets, especially when using an e-bike. You can imagine that with an aging population that wants to stay fit, the numbers of cycling deaths might actually keep going up for a while. My own mother is still cycling (on an ebike no less) at 84. She is on the fence about buying a helmet.
The image above shows an article about “surprisingly more seniors buying a bicycle helmet”, a Dutch child with a helmet in the magazine of the Dutch version of the CAA and an article about three people who state they will leave “never again without a helmet”. These are examples of how you nudge people to change their behaviour: news articles, photos and testimonials.
Getting kids on board
Another group being targeted are kids. Kids are more vulnerable, both in development and visibility, and it’s likely easier to bring concerned parents on board than an inconvinceable teenager.
- Cycling de Ecopista in Guimarães
Reading Time: 6 minutesThis fall we visited Guimarães and cycled the local Ecopista to Fafe. Here is a short impression and pictures to give you an idea of the pathway in this pretty northern Portugal town.
Encouragement, not laws for helmet use
Although I mentioned before that comparisons between countries are difficult, Canada’s provinces have a law that mandates helmet use for the under 18 year olds. After 18, you are free to wear a helmet or not. Spend some time along a busy bicycle commute route in Ottawa though, and you’ll notice that probably 90% of the people is wearing a helmet voluntarily anyway.
The Dutch appear to consider encouragement before introducing laws. Generally, the Dutch don’t like to be told what to do, so nudging is likely the way to go.
A strategy that includes bringing kids on board early on and hope for voluntary helmet use after 18 without having to introduce laws is exactly part of a strategy that Denmark is following. With some interesting results. I will discuss that in my next post next time with another article from a Dutch newsletter.
Dutch newspaper article
Below is an article from AD Media from 2022, which I read when I was in the Netherlands last year. I translated it into English for you with help of Google to get a sense what is being discussed. The title is a bit click baity, as it sounds like an announcement but it is actually just a thought that is likely not realistic any time soon.
‘Cycling helmet mandatory for people aged 60+’
The introduction of mandatory helmet use for cycling is the fastest and by far the cheapest way to significantly reduce the number of road fatalities. This is stated by the [Dutch] cabinet’s most important advisor in the field of road safety.
Marcia Nieuwenhuis David Beerder (AD media) – April 14, 2022
The Hague
If all cyclists wear a helmet, this will save eighty cycling deaths per year, according to director Martin Damen of the Institute for Scientific Research on Road Safety (SWOV) in an interview with this newspaper.
“From the age of 55, people’s sense of balance deteriorates. Then as a cyclist you shouldn’t wait too long to get a helmet. A helmet on your bike from the age of 60? I say go for it!”
2021 figures
The latest figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) show that 582 road deaths occurred last year (2021). That is 28 fewer than in 2020. The majority of traffic deaths occurred among cyclists. The Netherlands counted 207 cycling fatalities in 2021 compared to 175 passenger car occupants.
Increasing e-bike deaths
What is striking is that the chance of dying in a car accident has fallen spectacularly by almost 70 percent since the turn of the century. In 2000, 543 motorists and passengers were killed in traffic accidents. Cars are becoming increasingly safer. The numbers are getting safer. The number of cyclists killed fell significantly less in the same period. From 233 to 207, a decrease of 11 percent. “Cyclists remain very vulnerable,” Damen notes. The number of e-bikers who died is also increasing; last year there were eighty.
Elderly and e-bikes
Road accidents usually involve the elderly: half of the fatalities are over 60 years old. Among cycling fatalities, three quarters are over 60. Although the elderly remain vital for longer thanks to the rise of the electric bicycle, they also fall more often. “Cycling on an electric bicycle does not have to be much more dangerous, but if something happens the injury is more serious,” says Damen.
Bad hair
Compared to other countries, he believes the Dutch people are quite stubborn when it comes to whether or not to wear a bicycle helmet. “It makes your hair look bad,” he says mockingly. “On the other hand: there are not so many accidents in the Netherlands that you see fatal bicycle accidents happening all around you.”
The SWOV director expects that the Dutch cabinet will first want to look at voluntarily encouraging the use of helmets.
<end of article>
I am creating a number of recreational bicycle maps for Ottawa that mostly follow safe pathways and residential streets. Take a look here.
- Dutch health experts increasingly vocal about helmet useReading Time: 6 minutesDutch authorities are increasingly worried about the rise in traffic deaths among seniors on e-bikes. They would like to see Dutch seniors and children starting to wear helmets. That’s not an easy task.
- Escape from Amsterdam: Zutphen
Reading Time: 4 minutesMost of the cycling images you see on social media are from the western part of the Netherlands. But let me take you to a much more laid back part of the Netherlands. - Cat eye lights built into a road (with video)
Reading Time: 2 minutesREcenlty I was driving and cycling in the Netherlands and I noticed a very cool and cheap safety solution: cat eyes in the road - A boat and bike trip in the Netherlands
Reading Time: 10 minutesBoat and Bike tours are popular in Europe. We tried it for a few days and were positively impressed: while you travel, your hotel travels with you. - Densification in Dutch villages: how does that look like?
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe Netherlands needs to be really smart with its space. Many villages have grown and added many homes around the old core. Here are some examples of urban densification. - The incredible service of the Dutch railways returning my backpack within three hours
Reading Time: 4 minutesLast Saturday I took the train of the Dutch Railways (NS) from a small town north of Leiden to Aardenhout south of Haarlem. When leaving the train, I forgot my backpack.
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Really appreciate all you do. Wondering if they will ever reopen the bike
path below the Parliament buildings.
Thanks Karen. The pathway should open again in the Fall of 2024, just another year! Here is what is happening:
Winter 2023–Fall 2024
Parliament Hill escarpment rehabilitation work.
– Remove vegetation at the base of the escarpment.
– Plant erosion-resistant vegetative cover.
– Build retaining walls.
– Flatten the slope.
– Repair and reinforce the natural exposed bedrock face.
– Replant vegetation to restore the natural appearance of the escarpment.