The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is preparing an amendment to the 1990 Traffic Signs and Road Signs regulations (RVV), whereby wearing a helmet will be mandatory for moped riders and passengers all over the Netherlands.
Helmets to be made mandatory
Until now, moped drivers and their passengers were exempt from being required to wear a helmet. However, under the Ministry’s proposed amendments, this exemption is to be abolished, making it mandatory for drivers and passengers to wear a helmet when driving a moped.
The requirement comes at the insistence of the House of Representatives. The motion is supported by the political parties CDA, D66, ChristenUnie, GroenLinks, SP and 50Plus. Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, the Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management, is considering a transitional period, as she believes drivers should be given the opportunity to buy a suitable helmet.
Addressing road safety
The House was moved to make helmets compulsory after 138 doctors signed a petition. The new helmet requirement will help propagate road safety. Dr. Wouter Bierman from the Groningen University Medical Centre (UMCG) told reporters that every year, “30 to 40 fatalities are caused by accidents involving moped riders”.
Since they were introduced in the 1970s, “slow mopeds” i.e. those with blue license plates, have been allowed to drive in the cycle lane. However, the city of Amsterdam recently banned mopeds from the cycle path, in order to reduce incidents, improve road safety and give cyclists more space.