5 ms·
That is one of the possibilities they mentioned in the Dutch news. But also, for instance, in could be that e-bikes are used for different trips. However, nor
by boesboes 5y ago
That is one of the possibilities they mentioned in the Dutch news.
But also, for instance, in could be that e-bikes are used for different trips.
However, normal bike accidents are also up. So another direction they mentioned is that there are just more cyclists on the road. The problem is they don’t know much about how bikes are being used & where & by whom.
So they really cannot say much on why there is an increase
- jacquesm 5y agoAnother factor is simply the novelty of it, people that have an e-bike need to get used to their new bike and with the dutch anti-helmet culture they don't adjust because to them it is 'just a bike' which they probably have been on since right after they learned how to walk. This will take some time, I suspect that at some point we will see a helmet mandatory for e-bikes, which I would definitely be a big supporter of.
- tonyedgecombe 5y agoMy worry is that making helmets mandatory will reduce the number of bike journeys as it adds friction.
- jacquesm 5y agoThat's a fair point and likely to be a factor in this, but then there are still the 'regular' bikes for the people that do not want to wear a helmet. I cycle a very large amount ever year and the number of accidents and near accidents is much larger than on the same number of km by car. This is kind of frustrating because I really enjoy biking and try to do as much of my mileage by bike as possible but the safety of it makes me wonder if I'm not playing some kind of lottery with 'very bad prizes'.
- Crabber 5y agoHaving to keep charging a bicycle seems like far more friction to me than having to spend 15 seconds putting on a helmet
- anonfornoreason 5y agoI charge my ebike once every couple weeks. Granted I ride my non ebike most of the time, but with a daily commute of 4 miles, I can ride for 8 days straight without needing to plug it in. Not a big deterrent at all. Helmet sits in the basket or hangs off the bars, takes ten second to put on so also not a deterrent. The real deterrent is thinking “goddamn it’s 27 degrees out and my gloves are getting frayed my fingers are going to be cold”.
- sidewndr46 5y agoDucth impressions of safety always make me giggle. I'm only alive today due to a helmet I was wearing when a car decided to turn in front of me. Yet, gems like this exist > “If you are hit by a car on your bike, there is no helmet that will protect you.” From here: https://dutchreview.com/culture/cycling/5-reasons-why-the-dutch-cycle-without-bike-helmets/ https://dutchreview.com/culture/cycling/5-reasons-why-the-du... If this statement was really true, then no one would ever take a trip on a bicycle on a public road. We would have bicycle fatalities almost everyday.
- jacquesm 5y agoTo be fair though: cycling in NL without a helmet is probably safer than cycling with a helmet in many other countries. Even so there are plenty of accidents.
- sidewndr46 5y agoWhat would make that 'fair'?
- jacquesm 5y agoIt's an idiom.
- sidewndr46 5y agoWhile saying "to be fair" may be an idiom, it is also in this case a strawman. Your comment proposes something as an alternative but provides no evidence to indicate there is any actual debate to be had. I could mention that bicycling on Antarctica is much safer than in the Netherlands. Thus, the Netherlands should seek to emulate Antarctic policy regarding bicycling. None of that is a real argument.
- jacquesm 5y agoThe strawman is yours.