Cyclists over the age of 55 should have to wear a helmet while out on the roads, says Marco Brugmans, director of road safety institute VeiligheidNL.

Between 55% and 60% of cycle accident victims aged over 55 are seriously hurt, compared with around 40% of younger victims, Brugmans said.

‘Traffic in the Netherlands is getting safer, but not for older cyclists,’ he told Algemeen Dagblad. ‘And that is purely because of the control and behaviour of the cyclist himself.’

‘Just like children, older people often fall. And we make children wear a helmet on their bikes,’ Brugmans said.

Last year, the Dutch cycling union said helmets give cyclists a false sense of security and making helmets compulsory will lead to fewer people using their bikes.

Research by the traffic safety institute published in February showed the risk of being killed in a bike accident is 80 times higher for the over-80s than for young people.

Earlier stories
Over 80s are 80 times as likely to did in a bike accident
Helmets make cycling less safe, says Dutch cycling union