Plan for mandatory helmets on e-bikes for under 18s faces resistance in parliament

There is little enthusiasm in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, for the Cabinet’s plan to introduce a helmet requirement for e-bike riders under 18. All parties that took part in Thursday’s debate agreed that something must be done to improve road safety, but Infrastructure Minister Robert Tieman did not receive broad support for his proposal.

NSC MP Olger van Dijk once again argued for more targeted measures against fat bikes, despite multiple studies indicating that such an approach is ineffective. He suggested introducing a weight limit so that lighter e-bikes would be exempt from the new rules. Van Dijk and VVD MP Hester Veltman also questioned why the minister did not opt for a helmet requirement up to age 16 instead. Tieman argued that 18 is the right age, as that is when a person becomes an adult.

Members of Tieman’s own party, the BBB, expressed understanding for the plan, with MP Cor Pierik voicing support. SGP MP Chris Stoffer also backed the measure, who also spoke on behalf of the CDA.

GroenLinks-PvdA MP Habtamu de Hoop left his party’s stance unclear, asking questions about the potential impact of the rule on young people cycling in rural areas. De Hoop also reminded Tieman that the cabinet is demissionary and that the proposal goes beyond what the Tweede Kamer requested in motions. “I don’t think doing nothing is an option,” the minister responded. He promised to submit the detailed plan for the helmet requirement to parliament.

PVV MP Willem Boutkan rejected the plan altogether, saying he wanted to crack down on “thugs” instead of introducing measures “that punish the majority,” though he did not specify which groups he meant.

Tieman recently defended the helmet requirement by pointing to recent safety data: the number of emergency room admissions involving e-bike riders doubled between 2020 and 2024, head injuries among 12- to 18-year-olds increased sixfold, and the number of fat bike riders treated in the ER rose from zero in 2020 to 301 in 2024.

The police and the Dutch Association for Trauma Surgery support the plan, noting that helmets can prevent concussions and that children still lack sufficient traffic awareness.

The minister expects to present the bill to parliament in the fall of 2026, with the measure possibly taking effect from 2027, according to the AD.