82% of Dutch worry about souped-up fatbikes; Two-thirds want age limit for all e-bikes

A large majority of Dutch people are very worried about fatbikes and want the Cabinet to stop talking and act, AD reports based on research commissioned by the RAI Vereniging. 82 percent of Dutch consider souped-up fatbikes a major problem and want stricter controls. 75 percent feel the same about all fatbikes.

Often mentioned measures to increase road safety can count on broad support, according to the RAI Vereniging, the interest group for the bicycle, automotive, and mobility sectors. Two-thirds of the Dutch support an age limit of 14 for all e-bikes. Over 60 percent want mandatory helmets for kids and teenagers under 18.

Motivaction surveyed 527 adults and 421 teens aged 12 to 18 last month on behalf of the RAI Verenighing. The researchers found widespread concerns about road safety, particularly for young people. Three-quarters of adults worry about children and teens on e-bikes and fat-bikes. Two-thirds believe riding an e-bike is more dangerous than riding a regular bike. For fatbikes, this rises to 84 percent.

Teenagers themselves are also in favor of taking measures to improve road safety. A majority of teens support an age limit of 14 for e-bikes and fatbikes, and support for mandatory helmets falls just short of a majority, at 48 percent.

The RAI Vereniging is surprised by the broad support for these measures. “If we had commissioned this study ten years ago, the results would likely have been very different,” Chairman Frits van Bruggen told the newspaper.

According to him, it shows how great the concerns about road safety have become. “Last year, 759 people died in traffic, 281 of whom were cyclists. In addition 81,00 cyclists ended up in the emergency room, 9 percent more than the year before,” Van Bruggen said. “The number of cyclist fatalities urgently needs to come down, as does the number of injuries.”

The trade association has little faith in separate rules for fatbikes, which Minister Vincent Karremans of Infrastructure is currently working on. "Various studies commissioned by the previous cabinet show that this is legally difficult. That is why we advocate for measures that apply to all e-bikes,” Van Bruggen said.

But more rules are only part of the solution. Better enforcement is also needed, Van Bruggen said, referring to large amounts of cheap, illegal fatbikes being shipped into the country.

“A helmet mandate for young people and a minimum age are pieces in a much larger puzzle,” he said. “The Cabinet must ensure that customs gets to work, that regulators such as the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority do their jobs, and that checks are carried out on the streets. Only then will other measures have an effect.”