Population in favor of mandatory helmet use on low-speed e-bikes
A mandatory requirement to wear a bicycle helmet on slow e-bikes would find a lot of support among the population in Switzerland. Almost 80% are currently in favor of such a mandatory requirement, as the 2018 survey by the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention shows.
78% of the Swiss population would welcome a mandatory bicycle helmet requirement on low-speed e-bikes (see article "Every 6th e-bike rider crashed"). This is one of six possible road safety measures discussed by the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (bfu) in its 2018 population survey. Such a mandatory helmet requirement - which currently only applies to fast e-bikes - would be more popular with women (87%) than with men (70%). This gender difference can be seen in the trend for all measures presented to respondents.
More than two-thirds of respondents would currently support a lights-on-day mandatory requirement for all e-bikes. This measure was proposed by the Federal Council in 2017 during its evaluation of the "Via sicura" program.
Post-training courses found to be useful
Respondents also expressed their views on mandatory refresher courses for drivers guilty of a serious traffic offense or alcohol-related offense (driving with at least 0.8 per mille - or 0.4 mg/l breath alcohol content). Across Switzerland, 74% of the population welcome such courses. People over the age of 65 are in favor of them by as many as 84%, while only 69% of the population in French-speaking Switzerland are in favor. Another result of the population survey: Almost two-thirds are in favor of speeders only being allowed back behind the wheel with a driving data recorder ("black box").
Cell phones and alcohol under the microscope
The survey also looked at the behavior of car drivers, such as the use of cell phones or tablets while driving. A quarter of respondents said they read or write something on a cell phone or tablet at the wheel at least occasionally. Among those under 25, this proportion is as high as 40%.
The youngest driver group appears to drive distracted more often, but younger people seem to be more aware of the dangers of drinking and driving. For example, 13% of those under 25 say they still drive at least occasionally after two or more alcoholic drinks. By comparison, the proportion of those over 50 who do so is 33%.
The bfu population survey is conducted annually among persons aged 15 to 74 in two modules by telephone, and since 2016 partly online. The sample is taken from the SRPH (sampling frame for surveys of persons and households) of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. This year, the sample of module 1 comprises around 1,100 people, and that of module 2 around 1,500 people.
