Amsterdam to use cameras to enforce helmet obligation on scooters

From November 8, Amsterdam will be using license plate cameras in the city to register whether scooter riders are wearing a helmet. Those caught without a helmet will be fined.

Amsterdam implemented the helmet obligation for scooter riders when it moved scooters off the bike path and onto the road within the A10 ring road in 2019. But a recent survey showed that fewer scooter riders are complying with the rules. Only 76 percent of scooter riders use the road, compared to 80 percent last year. And helmet wearing dropped from 76 percent to 54 percent. 

"We also receive more complaints from residents who feel unsafe on the cycle path because of scooter riders," the city said in a press release. "That is why we must enforce more."

Camera enforcement will start with the existing license plate cameras in the city. Later this year, portable cameras will also be deployed. The enforcement will be evaluated next year.