No extra safety rules at Fiets4Daagse: ‘Do not oblige to wear a helmet’

The Drentse Fiets4Daagse is not taking any extra measures now that the number of seriously injured people after a bicycle accident has increased by a third in the past ten years. That is what the chairman of the event, Jan Broertjes, says.

“At the moment we are not going to make it mandatory to wear a helmet, and I don’t feel much for a maximum speed either. That is the individual freedom and the choice of the participants,” he says. “For example, how are you going to check a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour? We don’t have the equipment and the capacity for that at all.”

People aged 55 and over are especially involved in a bicycle accident, said SafetyNL, who announced this morning the numbers brought out. According to Broertjes, this is possible because that age group does not always wear a helmet. “And if you don’t have enough experience, an accident is just around the corner”, he points to cycling on an e-bike, which not everyone gets used to quickly.

Broertjes emphasizes that there is a list of recommendations to get on the road as safely as possible during the Fiets4Daagse. He also sees that the cycling event has been quite safe so far. “Hardly or no accidents happen. We also notice that the speed is lower, it rarely exceeds 20 kilometers per hour.”

The Fiets4Daagse is this year from 19 to 22 July, registration opens from Thursday. You can start in Assen, Dalen, Diever, Emmen, Meppel and Westerbork for distances of thirty to sixty kilometers. “We hope for ten thousand participants a day”, Broertjes looks ahead.

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