Helmet use is rising among Dutch cyclists, driven by older riders and e-bike users
Helmet use among cyclists in the Netherlands appears to be rising, with older riders and e-bike users leading the shift, RTL reported. Experts, however, remain divided over whether helmet use should ever become mandatory.
According to AT5, helmets are increasingly common among cyclists in Amsterdam. The trend is also visible nationwide, according to the Fietsersbond and VeiligheidNL.
"We are really seeing a shift. It is becoming increasingly visible in the streetscape and, therefore, more normal," Tom de Beus from VeiligheidNL told RTL.
The ANWB has reported increased helmet sales, while bicycle retailer 12GOBiking has recorded annual sales growth of 20 percent.
Traffic psychologist and professor Dick de Waard told RTL that he also has noticed the change. He followed a group of older cyclists for three years. At the start, almost none wore helmets; by the end, about half did. He said seeing other people cycling with helmets appeared to lower the barrier to wearing one. "People influence each other," he said.
De Beus agreed. "If you see more people around you wearing a helmet, that contributes to acceptance and the social norm."
Helmet use is particularly common among older cyclists, e-bike riders, children, mountain bikers, and road cyclists, according to VeiligheidNL.
"Pensioners realize, "I am enjoying my free time and can cycle beautiful stretches on my e-bike. I put that thing on because someone around me has also fallen," neurologist Marcel Aries said.
Reaching younger cyclists remains more difficult. De Waard pointed to Denmark, where helmet use among cyclists has increased. But he said researchers there have struggled to reach those aged 15 to 18.
Aries said the challenge is also clear in the Netherlands. "When I cycle past a secondary school, helmet use there is practically zero percent."
De Waard believes better-looking helmets could help change that. "You need an exclusive, sexy helmet. From Apple, for example. One that is quite expensive."
The shift remains gradual, and De Waard said that may be the right approach. He does not support a universal helmet requirement. "Maybe we should not even want everyone to wear a helmet," he said.
The ANWB, Fietsersbond, and VeiligheidNL also oppose compulsory helmet use. "We see that many people got rid of their mopeds or use them less after the introduction of the helmet requirement," a Fietsersbond spokesperson said. "We believe everyone should decide for themselves."
Aries, however, hopes helmets eventually become a constant part of cycling for everyone. He sees the consequences of serious cycling crashes regularly in intensive care. "There are 30 beds there. There is always one cyclist, often even two," he told RTL.
"You are there only because you have serious injuries. On the outside, nothing can be seen, but scans show that the head is a wreck. Eighty percent never return to how they were. If a cyclist collides with a car, a helmet does not help. But many cycling accidents involve only the cyclist. Then I keep thinking, "If only that person had been wearing a helmet, because then there would have been no impact or less impact."
Figures from VeiligheidNL show that 80,900 cyclists were injured in 2025. Forty-two percent were older than 55, while 68 percent were involved in single-vehicle crashes. A total of 54,900 people suffered significant injuries, including 14,400 people with brain injuries. Wearing a bicycle helmet reduces the risk of serious head and brain injuries by 60 percent and the risk of fatal head and brain injuries by 71 percent.
Aries and De Waard believe bicycle helmets could eventually follow the same path as ski helmets and helmets in professional cycling, where they also once faced strong resistance. When the international cycling federation sought to introduce a helmet requirement in the early 1990s, riders protested by stopping a race. Helmets became mandatory only after cyclist Andrei Kivilev died in 2003. They are now an established part of the professional peloton.
