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Cyclists are the most vulnerable group of road users, according to recent figures from the Injury Information System (LIS) of SafetyNL.

The government campaign to get the Dutch to cycle more often is a nice step towards a fitter society. SafetyNL thinks this is a good initiative, provided that safety is given the highest priority by the cabinet. Cyclists are the most vulnerable group of road users, according to recent figures from the Injury Information System (LIS) of Safety NL.

The number of road accidents in the Netherlands continues to rise. In particular, the number of cycling crashes with serious injuries has risen sharply over the past 10 years, namely by 40 percent in the period from 2013 to 2022. In 2022 alone, 88.800 cyclists ended up in the emergency room, of which 57.000 cyclists suffered serious injuries. More than a quarter of these victims, namely more than 15.600 cyclists, sustained brain injury during the accident. The main causes of bicycle crashes are own behavior (44 percent), regardless of age, and road conditions (32 percent).

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The cabinet is allocating money for, among other things, better bicycle facilities. SafetyNL also calls for improvements in the infrastructure. To realize the decrease in the number of cycling casualties SafetyNL further into:

  • opening up emergency and ambulance data to gain a better insight into locations and causes of accidents for the purpose of infrastructure improvements;
  • development and use of effective traffic education: investments in behavioral change and awareness of safe road behaviour;
  • investigate how existing fall prevention activities and programs can be further developed into effective programs for older cyclists;
  • encouraging the wearing of a bicycle helmet among vulnerable road users to protect them against serious brain injury. Research shows that helmet use reduces the risk of brain injury by one third. The chance of a head injury is reduced by 62 percent.
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Says Martijntje Bakker, director/manager at SafetyNL.

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