Too many e-bike riders ride without helmets
For the past five years, e-bikes with pedal assistance over 25 km/h have been required to wear a helmet. One in six riders doesn't seem to care.
The bfu survey 2017 of helmet wearing rates shows that 17 % are on a fast e-bike without a helmet. It is also unpleasant to note that for bicycles without electric drive, these Quote below 50 % has stagnated. On the other hand, further bfu surveys show that the rate of seat belt use by car occupants and the rate of light activation during the day remain at a pleasingly high level.
30,000 bicycle accidents per year in Switzerland
The analysis also shows that only 46 % of Swiss cyclists ride with a helmet. Although 30,000 bicycle accidents occur in Switzerland every year and a helmet is the Risk of head injury halved, every second person rides "topless. At least the rate is consistently much higher among the youngest: 77 % of all children and young people up to 14 years of age wear a bicycle helmet.
The survey also reveals something astonishing: one in six people riding a fast e-bike with pedal assistance over 25 km/h does not wear a helmet. This is despite the fact that it has been mandatory to wear a helmet when riding such e-bikes since 2012. On e-bikes with pedal assistance up to 25 km/h, two thirds of riders currently wear a helmet. The bfu recommends always wearing a helmet on both bicycles and e-bikes. Helmet to wear.
High rates of wearing seat belts and driving with lights on during the day
The Seat belt wearing rate while driving fortunately remains at a stable high level of 95 %. The significant differences between the language regions observed in the past have been reduced in recent years.
Since 2014, cars in Switzerland must also drive with their lights on during the day. The 2017 bfu survey "Daytime light switch-on rates" shows that the law is very well observed. Last year, 97 % of all Swiss motor vehicles drove with lights on during the day. This is not expected to change much in Switzerland in the future. The legal obligation - a violation can be fined 40 francs by the police - and the fact that all new vehicles put on the road in Europe have had to be equipped with daytime running lights since 2011 make a decline in the switch-on rate unlikely.
Editor's tip: Our contribution to the Info course bike
In the bfu video you can see "How to buy, properly dress and care for a bicycle helmet„
Text: bfu.ch
