Support for government action to limit the fatbike menace is growing, with most people calling for compulsory helmets, licences or a minimum age, according to a survey of 19,000 RTL news readers.

Almost half the respondents said they had experienced problems with fat bikes in traffic, with one person saying “it is as off they have forgotten all the rules of the road”, RTL news reported.

Fatbikes are electric bikes with wide tyres but are more similar to old-fashioned mopeds and are often souped up to go faster than the maximum 25 kph. More than half of fatbikes checked by police in Amsterdam in the first five months of 2024 had been tinkered with to reach higher speeds.

Some 85% of poll respondents said they felt the two-wheelers should be included in the vehicle category restricted to the over 16s, which would require driving licences and helmets.  

In addition, 95% support a ban on their use by the under 16s.

There is also mounting concern about the surge in accidents involving fatbikes. In 2022, just seven fatbike riders ended up in hospital emergency departments, but last year that had soared to 59. In the first four months of this year, there were 33 hospitalisations, a trend which if continued would take the full year total to around 100.

Research by VeiligheidNL has also shown that half the victims of accidents involving fatbikes are aged 10 to 14 and a quarter of them end up with head injuries.

Doctors, local authorities and traffic safety organisations have petitioned for an age limit of 12 but would have preferred 16. That may be problematic legally because the fatbike is considered an electric bike and a minimum age of 16 would mean youngsters would also be excluded from riding a regular electric bike.