If you like this video, check this one out. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/brqVnZeWt8veXWw.html

A lot of people don't seem to get that in the Netherlands, Denmark etc. cycling is transport. Look at them, they're wearing normal clothes. They're not going out there to sweat like crazy. Lower speed = Fewer serious accidents. Just like with cars. That doesn't mean they're going 5 km/h though. It's probably closer to 15-20 km/h for the average cyclist. Of course we have people who ride their bikes for sports, exercise etc. as well, but they're riding out of the city center. There's way too many bikes on the bike lanes for them to have a good race/work out around the center of Amsterdam anyway. They'll usually use the bike paths along highways or find some remote country side road to do their racing in. Are there times when a helmet could save a life? Sure, there is. And there are times when a full motocross safety "suit" would save a life, but I don't see people wanting to use those. There are so few accidents in the first place though, and most of those aren't head-related at all. It's just people falling over hurting their hand, wrist, shoulder, elbow, knee etc. and a lot of the fatal car-bike accidents are not fatal because the cyclist aren't wearing a helmet. They're fatal because a car just hit a guy going 50+ km/h. Would helmets be a good idea? Perhaps. They would be just as good an idea for pedestrians and drivers of cars though. That's why they use helmets in car racing. You're much more likely to smash your head into the steering wheel or windscreen in a car crash than a cyclist is hitting their head by falling over.. And even if their were to fall over and hit their head, it happens at a fractions of the speed of head injuries in cars. The main safety feature is education/knowledge among cyclists, pedestrians and drivers alike. They know the rules, they know how to act around each other etc. Chances are the guy driving the car also owns a bike or that his kid, colleague etc. rides a bike to school/work every day. Bikes aren't some strange alien object to people over here.

I started at around 1pm....lol

As a cyclist in the USA, I don’t wear a helmet when commuting. I’m more likely to be shot than be killed riding my bike, I don’t wear a bullet prof vest either.

We laugh about the helmet question cause we've been cycling all our lives. As a kid we start of with 'zijwieltjes', which basically are wheels next to your rear wheel. We ride like that for a few months and after that we just ride normal bikes all our lives, so it basically became like walking for us. Also our biking infrastructure is much better compared to other countries, which makes cycling a lot safer here.

I have cycled round Holland two times and I always thought Dutch people had perfect English .Infact some of the Dutch speak better English than the British .Love your country !

I'm Australian and we have had a helmet law for many years now, but many of us still never wear one. The police have long ago given up chasing us😂

Much more people get head injuries in car accidents so by that logic people should wear Helmets in cars.

Gewoon niet op je bakkus vallen dan heb je ook geen helm nodig

Wearing a helmet when cycling here in the Netherlands is unnecessary because motorized traffic and cyclists are segregated. And if they ever have to share the road with motorized vehicles it would be in a 15-30km/h zone. Add to that the fact that most drivers are also cyclists, so they know what to look out for.

The most interesting point about the video is that you notice that the dutch don't actually mention safety as a reason that they cycle. In almost all cases the reason they chose to cycle is because it is the fastest way to get around the city. That's the important lesson that city planners often forget. People cycle when it is faster. Safety is important but you have to build cycle lanes on the routes people want to use.

Last time I fell with my bike, a helmet would not have been much use. I slipped on a patch of ice, stumbled to the right and the handle bar came down on my right hand. Two fingers stood straight up, backwards. So I clicked the fingers back into their sockets and continued my ride.

I read the article, it was awesome. There is some really great information on bike helmet standards and testing o.o Thank you for sharing

There are two major problems with helmets: 1. It makes you look stupid and messes up your hair. 2. When you take off the helmet, where would you put it? It's a pain the butt. I cycle for more than 30 years and had never hit my head.

Awesome! I love the outtakes, Paul! :-D

Someone wearing a helmet on a bicycle is like someone behind the wheel wearing a hat. You know they’re probable 80+, you know they are a danger in traffic and are not confident or in control of their vehicle. Best to keep a distance.

The detrimental effect of such regulation is very well understood in The Netherlands!

the red girl understood austria instead of australia

Helmets are for the weekend, when people go on their racingbikes in the countryside most people do wear helmets lycra and everything like shirts from their favorite racingteam etc.

When I lived in Netherland I did not use a welmet. In Brazil, I use it even if it's not an obligation but here cyclist safety is much much worse.

I am dutch and when i was very young i fell of the bike often but you never actually fall on your head and really the only situation you hurt your head is when a other vechile (car) is involved we dont really have that problem because we have got a cycling infrastructure and almost everyone older than ten years doesnt really fall of their bikes anymore

12 years later we still don't wear helmets on a bike; with windsurfing I do nowadays, protects against sunburn, btw glad you switched your videos from biking to windsurfing 😂

Because I don't fall. Simple as that. And if I did - it certainly wouldn't be on my head. I know how to cycle. And don't know of anyone who doesn't. That's it! Exactly.

Brilliant! These are some very merry people!

I did review those articles. My reading of them was that the weight of the evidence supported the hypothesis that wearing a helmet reduces the chances of head injury, at least in the U.S. where most of the studies finding this effect were done.

They don't wear helmets because most bikes are single-speed, barrel brake, heavy bikes with an upright riding position. Thus: Typical cruising speed in amsterdam is about 10mph (less than a good marathon runners pace). In contrast, many cities (London, ny etc) have cyclists riding road bikes or fixies with an aggressive body position (head forward). Crashing upright with your hands free at 10mph on a strong bike is a hell of a lot safer than crashing headfirst with both hands squeezing the brakes on a fragile bike going 20mph.

I’ve been cycling almost daily for about 45 years in the Netherlands and can count the amount of accidents on one hand, so about one every decade. Never broke anything, at the worst I had some major bruises on arms and legs, once also on my chin and nose. Most incidents happened while being drunk (so due to my own stupidity). Cycling over here can be compared to walking. Low speed, like 15-20 km per hour on mostly seperated bike paths. Cyclists are extremely protected by law as well. Any motor vehicle that hits a bike is considered the perpetrator, unless proven otherwise. Helmets for cyclists are not necessary in the Netherlands, everywere else they probably are.This of course excludes speed cyclists and elderly people on electrical bikes.They often wear helmets and rightfully so. The first catagory goes very fast on a light-weight bicycle with their heads bent forward, the latter goes too fast while being less physically flexible on a heavy-weight bicycle. So don’t compare apples to oranges. Until you match the safety for cyclists in the Netherlands in your environment (which will take at least a decade) the discussion about helmets yes or no in the Netherlands is useless.

Interesting that when you asked about helmets, all your Dutch cyclists laughed!

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like the cycle paths are improved and perhaps people are a little less rushed in their riding. Sounds nice, hopefully I get to ride in the Netherlands some day!

Thanks for sharing, I wanted to know this. Please link to more detailed information if you have it.

Forgot to mention, holland has an AMAZING network of bike only paths, for every road(almost) there is a red/brownish bike path to cycle safe away from cars there is really no need for a helmet since they roads are also kept very well, no potholes and such. The fact holland is mostly flat also is a huge influence on this mode of transport.

Do put on a helmet when you walk ? Is the same question here in the Netherlands

I am Dutch, use a bike since the age of 3-4. I use a bike because it is easier then the car, I do not need to go that far either. Besides that you always have the obvious parking spaces for cars and cars can not get everywhere. Some roads are blocked off for motorized vehicles all together. Which improves savety for cyclists in a huge way. Helmets? Well no, you simply do not need those in the Netherlands. Why you ask? The roads are not as chaotic as in any other country, specially compaired to the US. You being teached at very young age where you can ride your bike, what is save and what not. not by parental teachings alone, but also by school. It is not the law to teach how to ride a bike on school nor at home, yet its common sense to teach everyone so there wont be many problems and accidents. So you only really use a helmet at young age when you learn (I never even had a helmet on during my childhood). Falling and getting up is a learning process that you need so you can understand what you can and can not do on a bike. So eventually you do not need a helmet, it just adds to the baggage you have to carry along and it messes up your hair. It is also a lot more fun to feel the wind in your hair as you cylce trough nature. A helmet will confine that feeling and block your view as well. Also German's would wear a helmet only? Not true, there are a lot of tourists that take their helmets along or specially get one to ride a bike. But it is indeed very obvious that most Germans do have these helmets on and look redicilous in the process ;) The inner cities and even towns are too crowded for cars, also people love to smell the fresh air. There for they choose to ride the bike instead of using their cars. Also, which is not really mentioned in the answers given in the video. In many towns, specially in the north of the country, you would use a bike to get to school. Not just to get around the corner or to the other side of town. But many miles away from home. Which would pretty much be similar to riding a medium sized city in the US from one side to the other. This of course at the end of the day in return trip as well.

"Why do you use a bike for transport?" It's faster than walking.

The safety record of bicycle helmets is dubious at best, but they are great for getting the message across that cycling is dangerous and inconvenient. So they DO prevent cycling injuries but unfortunately mostly by discouraging cycling altogether.I loath bicycle helmets, and I'm very happy no one is wearing them around here Btw, the Netherlands is the best and safest place for cycling, so we must be doing something right.

There might be a safety benefit in wearing helmets, but there will also be safety costs, and the question is if the benefits outweigh the costs. Here are just a few reasons why helmets could decrease overall safety: - A well studied psychological phenomenon describes that if people feel more secure, they will automatically take more risks, even without realising it. - Helmets can limit your view, for example when your hair get stuck between the helmet and your forehead and you have to remove it. Also, on warm days, sweat will build up and flow down, possibly in your eyes, which needs to be wiped off on a regular basis. - Discomfort will affect your focus on traffic and people will likely try to move or adjust their helmets while driving - Many people will stop cycling, or not as often. This will reduce the amount of bicycles on the road, and overall safety decreases when the amount of cyclists decrease.

@roadworms You're right, I think it shows though that even if helmets are not obligatory and people still wear them on city bikes, they obviously don't feel as safe as they would as if they were walking down the street.

The biggest pain with helmet is at the destination do I carry it around while shopping or what? I'd love if helmet were not compulsory in my country, I'd ride twice as much

I detest cycle helmets. The law in Spain says it's obligatory out of the city. Even on roads where there is literally one car per hour passing by. Almost every week a pro cyclist is killed on the road. Presumably with state-of-the-art helmets on. Obligatory helmets reduce bike use. Cars kill cyclists. Separate the cyclists from the traffic,

Great video, loved it.

Niemand die de DWDD politiek commentator Sywert van Lienden herkent op 0:26 ? Ik ken deze video al sinds september 2011 en kijk hem nu nog eens terug. Grappig dat 'ie in deze video te zien is! Toen (in 2011) was hij uiteraard nog niet bekend bij het Nederlandse publiek.

harshbarj has it in one the bicycles that you use that are granny bikes are the best for just getting around. The bikes derived from sports are exercise equipment.

As an American, every time I think to myself that I should ride my bike more, the thought of having to wear a helmet and where to put the helmet when I get to my destination is what quickly quells my desire to ride my bike. Not that I'm advocating that she shouldn't wear helmets in areas outside the Netherlands because it really is more dangerous everywhere else.

A few years ago I ran into a car on my bike, my helmeted head went through the back window saving me from a severe head injury or death. I consider myself a careful rider but my incident illustrated to me how easily a serious accident can occur.

Very simple logic but seems only Dutch have mastered it.

This was awesome to watch 👍👍👍👍😀🚲🚲🚲

Helmets are for tourists they need them! We are born (almost) on a bike!

I can't find any mention of cycle helmets being mandatory in Germany via Google. It _certainly_ isn't a requirement here in the UK, although many choose to (not me LOL). Can any Germans confirm?

The only thing which makes cycling dangerous would be the other traffic around you (cars for example), but with that reasoning you might aswel wear a helmet when walking across the street. Falling without the interference of other people usually results into you being able to block the fall with your hands.

they look good without helmet :) i don't like using one too....but i have to because i'm not in Netherland.

That's it, if I had to wear a helmet I wouldn't ride my bike.

You're not the only one... This is like the same english I heard when I was still in school. Most tourists even think I'm English when I speak to them, so I much be doing something right ;)

Same reason you don't wear a helmet when your out walking, the extra protection is simply not worth the hassle.

no one in the netherlands start biking by theyre self before the age of 3 or 4. I'm dutch and I have no idea how old I was when I cycled for the first time, but not at 2

In Holland people don't cycle for leisure, they cycle as a useful, convenient way to travel. People make trips to the supermarket, work, the theatre, bars etc. Wearing a helmet would make this much less convenient. You have to constantly carry your helmet everywhere and it can mess up your hair. This would discourage many people from cycling. People who haven't been to the Netherlands probably believe the infrastructure is the same as in their country but in NL you don't cycle in amongst the cars as you do in most countries, and cycle lanes and bicycle crossings are well designed with the most vulnerable users' needs as a main design criterium. A loss of cyclists through enforcement of helmet-wearing would reduce the power in numbers that the bicyclists have now. I'm also not sure if helmets always prevent injuries but can actually cause certain injuries by the way you fall. My point of view is: wear a helmet if you like but making it mandatory would make it less convenient for people which would result in a reduction in cycling. The emphasis should be on making the infrastructure safe. Note that Holland has much fewer accidents than US, UK etcetera

I actually looked at the option and made the decision that the helmets really add no value... Besides if I get hit that hard, I'd rather die than survive as a vegetable...

See the thing is is seems in the Netherlands most people ride at a relatively relaxed pace and traffic for the most part is other bikes. I wear a helmet because when I ride I average about 18 mph and I ride more aggressively in general (I also do mtbing and and plan to start trails riding.) Also, I've actually known people who have gone brain dead from hitting their head cycling. That's why I wear a helmet.

no stats for bike crashes/head injury in Holland?

The people that said they started cycling between 3-5 years old are the honest ones. I have yet to find a bike that is small enough for my one and a half year old. People don't ride nearly as fast over there as they do in the states and the risk of motor vehicles isn't as high as here in the states. Wearing a helmet saved my life more than once, but like them I've never wrecked except under very unusual conditions. Like being hit by a car.

im dutch i am 14 years old and i go to school by bike since i was 5 and i have only crashed once into someone else that person flew against a tree and had to go to the hospital (she was fine after all) and i have never worn a helmet in my whole life it is uncomfortable and it would impede my movement with my head so i think its save to ride without a helmet

No need to wear a helmet when you have good bike lane system and cycle slowly like we do as transportation.

The average speed is 12.5 km/h. You don't go that fast when the road is full of bicycles. I sort of fell off my bike twice and landed on my feet as I was going slower than the walking speed.

on the 740.00 rides an accident happen why would we were a helmet?

all beautiful fit healthy people. ALL OF THEM

In Spain you must wear a helmet only on roads, not in cities or villages, which is a rather nice medium solution. Of course riding mopeds or motorbikes... everywhere.

I agree that a hi-vis jacket is far more important than a helmet, yet some research suggests wearing a helmet will make drivers take you more seriously - not sure if this can be backed up though. I do know a helmet could help if you were to otherwise whack your head on a kerb or something. I'm currently on the hunt for some soft knee and shoulder pads (already have gloves) because the other day some idiot stepped in our way and I came off and tore loads of skin off my knees

I wear a helmet mostly to help with aero stuff. A good helmet makes a major difference compared to hair flailing in the wind.

Second post Also I have noticed here in the states a LOT of people seem to think you have to wear a helmet. Now I'm not going to stop someone that want to wear them from wearing them, but they simply are not required and don't make you any safer. When that 2 tonne vehicle runs you over a bit of foam is going to do NOTHING to save you. May as well enjoy cycling for what it is.

I have hit the road (literally) with my helmet, I have seen people ended up in the hospital and others bleeding...at the end is ultimately a personal choice but I will keep wearing my helmet

@fietsya I live in the US. Our infrastructure is built up around cars more than bikes and even public transportation. A few of our bigger citys have bike lanes and they are growing. It's my choice to wear a helmet.

It's funny how you bring up 30mph out of the blue, knowing nothing about my crash. This was a 15-20mph car in the city running into my left side while I and other cyclists started pedaling over a crosswalk (for bicycles) slamming my head to the pavement. I guarantee that a helmet would have saved me a LOT of money on hospital bills. I don't argue that a helmet wouldn't help in a crash at higher speeds, only pointing out that it does help a lot in many other circumstances for example mine.

Do the sporty riders wear helmets? It is true that most of the times I've crashed I've been riding fast and aggressively. I suppose if I was riding slowly I wouldn't ever crash, but where would the fun be in that? :)

The cycling in Holland is so coordinated into daily life that injuries by crashing is practically a myth.

I really hope that some dat my city becomes safe enough to not wear a helmet, they are a hassle and can't keep my hairdo. The problem is that people try to push the use of helmets here as if it were necessary to avoid crashes... infrastructure and education is what we need, not helmets and reflectants :(

Helmets are for the Germans. Haha.

The helmet question i have always had. Funny though, in my city you get a ticket if you don't wear one. So stupid.

I'm in Roanoke, not far from where you lived. I used to own a car before I started cycling. Living in an urban area a car is not nearly as efficient as a bicycle. That's why I gave it up. Plus the car payments, insurance, taxes, fuel, and maintenance it all adds up to thousands of dollars and in the end I just didn't think it was worth it. I could spend a fraction of that amount on bicycling and actually get to places quicker vs. the car. The whole attitude and mentality of people here.

Cycling in vehicular manner as you put it is the safest way, and the highway code encourages this. I often see timid cyclists in the gutter being bullied into the drain covers by motorists. In the UK the idea of a separate cycle path is usually a mixed use footpath, which is useless for anybody who wants to progress at any speed.

The man at 1:14 is my English teacher wth

Uhm... I don't get your problem: Many places have an integrated network of cycle-paths: if you can get there by car, you mostly also can by bike. Even some high ways have cycle paths running parallel to it, and most 50 and 80 km/h limit roads do to. The law you refer to is more like a safety issue: when a road has a cycle-path running parallel to it, yes, then it's prohibited to cycle on the road. But to be short: you don't have to cycle on the road, just because there is a cycle-path

Annual King's Day in The Netherlands: a no helmet festival too: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ic-JiJOcnNzaeqM.html As well as these kids (age 5 -12) leaving primary school: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hdCSarJ835zbe58.html

Yeah, that would be like pedestrians having to wear a helmet. It might be different in places were there's no bicycle paths and cars trying to push you off the street at high speeds.

very interesting video, here in Edmonton, Canada I cycle a lot and when on trails away from traffic I don't wear a helmet. However If I need to ride in the city streets where we have little or no Cycle infrastructure I wear a helmet due to the poor drivers here that seldom have to watch for bicycles. I want to move to the Netherlands, looks amazing there for cyclists.

You have to understand that the culture here in the United States is very different from the Netherlands. They really don't care if they hit you and kill while you are riding your bicycle. Many people are very rude and disrespectful. There is almost no penalty for hitting and killing a cyclist. The car is king in the United States and many people worship their vehicles. Bicycling is not taken seriously and is viewed as childish behavior. If you ride a bicycle in the streets you become a non person (thing) and you are asking to be hit. It is really very much like swimming in a tank full of sharks with the idea that you won't get bit. You are very lucky to live in another country. Now you understand why people in the United States wear helmets, very sad.

Only tourist fall off a bike

dude i don't know about other countries but when i'm cycling i just do it without using my hands because its cold and not practical. am i the only one?

cycling in holland is completely different to the rest of the world, going at a steady pace along a designated cycle path where bikes are respected as the most common form on transport makes for an extremely safe environment, you never really come in contact with cars. people dont seem to ride aggressively in holland as they do elsewhere as its more of a means of transport and less of a sport.

wonderful

Ja tebe nikako ne kontam, znači u sudaru sa motornim vozilom i pri ozbiljnijem padu na glavu ti bi radije da ti se to desi bez kacige nego sa kacigom?

Even in places like the US where bike culture is no where near as developed as in the Netherlands, numerous studies have shown that wearing a helmet can have a negative impact on safety. Where they have been made compulsory, In Australia for instance, cyclist numbers have dropped, & fatalities risen. Also things are slowly changing in many US cities. Especially New York, where I've noticed many more Dutch style utility, helmet less riders using the new bike lanes.

They usually learn to speak 4 major languages, as I know.

Yeah, I posted a comment almost immediately after that one, to 'correct' the mistake :)

So if any Australian wants to ride a bike in the Netherlands he can leave his helmet at home. And when I'm in Australia my helmet carries the text 'I only wear this helmet because it's the law'.

Amen to that!

I would never park my Cannondale SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod Dura-Ace Disc in such a space. It would come inside with me.

well here in holland few things help with road safety for cyclists as practically every driver also cycles people know what to expect from a cyclist on the road. Laws also hold the one responsible that operates the heaver machine so people are extra careful around a cyclist, the average speed is low, the infrastructure of roads is with the cyclist in mind. We earn our cyclist driving license at school and learn the road signs the same as swimming degrees(abc) at elementary school and learn to ride the bike in the city and around from a young age, guess it is just that safe that there is always a route u can find that has such low risk u could let kids ride their bike to school or elsewhere. a bike just becomes what a basketball is to an NBA player just an extension, lots of people don't even bother with manual steering and drive handsfree and that with smartphones combined let to legislation being put in place making it against the law to use your phone while cycling. When u get carried around on a bike growing up u lose the anxiety one could have when facing traffic on a bike, u sense what u should do and what u shouldn't just from being exposed to it daily from a first-person view for so long(youngest kid seat models are attached to the steering wheel). it is just so embedded in the countries infrastructure and lives people grow up thinking its just how life is it is why i think they could not come up with thought through examples to why they didn't wear helmets

I think it is important to wear a helmet when you have more cars and trucks on the road. It's not dangerous when you are surrounded by bikes. It's really nice that Amsterdam is a cycle friendly city; you get a little workout during your commute.

if a cycling accident happens when someone dies or has a serious injury, the government puts a team on it and in one day they simulate the accident over and over to see what went wrong and then they make it even safer all in one or two days. and if there's a cycling accident the person who's injured just goes: oh well, shit happens, let's not have a trauma for cars and/or cycling, and because we in the Netherlands are very well insured I'm not going to have any financial problems. oh what now, I don't have a car, oh well ill just cycle to work tomorrow.

I am not wearing a helmet when biking. I am Dutch. A helmet, come on, that's poofy. I have a lot of biking safety, it is in my head, and the rest is watching, looking and constantly interpreting what you see, while biking.

KZfaq: "Round the clock cycling in the Netherlands"