Why Don’t The Dutch Wear Helmets? Explained!

A few years ago, I traveled to Amsterdam in order to visit a close Dutch friend. She is not a sports fanatic, but she cycles everywhere, just as the majority of Amsterdam residents do. She also arranged for my friends and I to have the dependable and incredibly comfortable ‘omafiets’ bicycles while we were there.

I’d known for a long time that Amsterdam was a cycling city, the epitome of “bike-friendly” cities worldwide. But nothing really prepared me for the actual experience. I’d been cycling in London without incident for years, but it was an absolute pleasure to be cycling in a city that was almost entirely free of traffic.

And if I’m being honest, none of us ever considered helmets. Nobody else was wearing one, so neither did we.

Do Cyclists Wear Helmets in Amsterdam?

Helmet use among cyclists in Amsterdam is extremely uncommon. In fact, it is virtually unheard of. Those spotted wearing a helmet in Amsterdam are likely not Dutch. The exception is children, who, due to their inexperience, are occasionally observed wearing helmets. However, not always

When Amsterdam residents of the Netherlands are asked why they do not wear helmets, the responses vary: “because it’s safe without,” “it messes up my hair,” etc. However, the response is frequently bemused, with a general sense of “I don’t even consider it.”

When I asked my Dutch friend why, she laughed and then explained, “We always know a tourist because they’re wearing a helmet, which we find odd.”

People in Amsterdam do not wear helmets because they do not consider it necessary. Since the 1970s, the Dutch government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on cycling infrastructure, resulting in cities (and non-urban areas) with an extensive network of cycle routes that are often separate from car traffic, with their own traffic lights, roundabouts, bridges, and tunnels.

Helmets have not become ingrained in or even entered Dutch cycling culture, as the majority of cycling accidents involve automobiles. Even if they are not cyclists themselves, many motorists in Amsterdam have a general awareness of and respect for cyclists. Sadly, this is not something the United Kingdom can boast about very often.

In fact, cycling is statistically safer than walking, and the Dutch claim that it is extremely rare for people to simply “fall off a bike.” Whether or not cycling is dangerous is inextricably linked to the type and quantity of other road traffic cyclists encounter.

Statistics on Bicycle Helmets in the Netherlands

According to the Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation, roughly 0.5% of cyclists in the Netherlands wear helmets, compared to approximately 35% in the United Kingdom.

Statistics on Cycling in the Netherlands

In 2020, the Netherlands had an estimated 22.8 million bicycles, of which approximately 2.4 million were electric bicycles.

More than one-fourth of all trips in the Netherlands are made by bicycle, with approximately 36 percent of the population of 17 million Dutch individuals citing it as their preferred mode of transportation.

In 2019, the Dutch made 4,8 billion bicycle trips covering 17,6 billion kilometers. Trip lengths increased from an average of 3.4 kilometers (September 2019) to 4.4 kilometers during the Covid 19 lockdowns (in early April 2020).

Studies indicate that bicycle accidents account for more than 70% of “severely injured traffic participants” in the Netherlands, and that accidents resulting in serious injury have increased by 35% over the past decade.

In the Netherlands, approximately 200 cyclists are killed annually in accidents, while in the United Kingdom there were 140 cyclists killed on the road in 2020. In proportion to the population, however, there are more regular cyclists in the Netherlands. This would indicate that cycling in the Netherlands is safer regardless of helmet use.

Helmets are worn by cyclists in the Netherlands.

The vast majority of Dutch cyclists do not wear helmets. And despite the Dutch SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research’s claim that protective headgear could reduce cycling fatalities by a third, it is unlikely that the 95 percent of cyclists who do not wear helmets will begin wearing them anytime soon.

Despite the fact that a relatively high proportion of cyclist hospital admissions in the Netherlands involved cyclists wearing helmets, the Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation attributes this to the fact that the majority of riders who do wear helmets participate in more dangerous cycle sports, such as mountain biking or racing.

Why Are There So Many Bicycles in Amsterdam and the Netherlands?

In the Netherlands, traffic accidents caused thousands of deaths per year by the beginning of the 1970s. Dutch citizens took to the streets in protest, and the tumultuous campaign resulted in a massive investment in cycling infrastructure, completely transforming the country and its bike culture.

This bitter history, although relatively recent, seems to have occurred eons ago, as the Netherlands have been considered the “cycling capital” for decades. Cycling is not only popular among Dutch citizens, but also deeply ingrained in their culture.

Bicycle commuting is considered healthier, greener, cheaper, easier (in terms of parking), and safer by the Dutch. However, it is also a significant part of history. The sheer number of bicycles in Amsterdam and the rest of the country is evidence that the fight to reclaim the streets for two-wheeled vehicles was successful.

Why Are There So Many Bicycles in the Canals of Amsterdam?

Although statistics vary, there are certainly more bikes than residents in Amsterdam. With approximately 900,000 bicycles in the city, theft is a problem, and approximately 15,000 bicycles (presumed stolen) are recovered annually from the canals of Amsterdam.

This may sound odd, but keep in mind that Amsterdam’s 165 canals span approximately 60 miles. For unscrupulous individuals desiring to dispose of a bike, regardless of how repulsive it is, tossing it into a canal probably seems like the simplest option.

Topic: Why Don’t The Dutch Wear Helmets? Explained!

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