The Dutch Love Their Bicycles. Helmets? Not So Much.

 It’s every person for themselves,” said Fallon Albrecht as she navigated her bicycle through a hectic downtown Amsterdam intersection on Thursday morning—one so notoriously busy it once had its own livestream.

Like many of the cyclists surrounding her, the 39-year-old chose not to wear a helmet during the rush hour commute, despite both the potential risks and a national campaign in the Netherlands aimed at shifting public perception on helmet use.

“I don’t wear one because of my bun,” she explained, pointing to the neatly tied knot of hair atop her head.

Government data shows that the Netherlands has more bicycles than people. Yet, helmets remain uncommon and have sparked an ongoing debate—balancing the importance of road safety with the country’s strong cultural attachment to cycling as a way of life.

Annual data released Thursday by the Dutch Central Bureau for Statistics revealed that cyclists accounted for the highest number of road fatalities in the Netherlands last year, with 246 deaths—surpassing the 220 fatalities involving car occupants and 59 pedestrian deaths.

Since 2000, traffic accidents have resulted in an average of 199 cyclist deaths annually. Over the past five years, nearly two-thirds of those deaths were linked to head injuries, the bureau reported.

In response, authorities have launched public awareness initiatives to encourage helmet use. One such effort, a nationwide campaign held this past Wednesday, aimed to raise awareness about the importance of cycling safety.

Titled “Put It On,” the campaign used television commercials, social media outreach, and school programs to spread its message. Citing research that suggests helmets can reduce fatal cycling injuries by 70 percent, the initiative focused on preventing deaths and serious injuries on the road.

Some people in the Netherlands believe that safety campaigns should focus more on car drivers and policymakers responsible for infrastructure and traffic regulations.

“Wearing a helmet doesn’t prevent traffic accidents—we need to address the root causes,” said Esther van Garderen, national director of Fietsersbond, a cycling advocacy group that has championed safe biking in the Netherlands for five decades.

Fietsersbond is calling for lower speed limits for cars in urban and residential areas, proposing a maximum of around 18 miles per hour. The group also advocates for restricting the size of vehicles, arguing that larger cars pose greater challenges for cyclists and raise the risk of serious head injuries.

Marco te Brömmelstroet, a professor of urban planning at the University of Amsterdam—widely known in the media as the “Bike Professor” for his expertise on cycling issues—criticized the helmet campaign as “an ideological smoke screen.” While he clarified that he’s not against helmets, he argued that the initiative is “well-intentioned but misinformed,” and potentially problematic from an ethical standpoint.

According to te Brömmelstroet, the campaign portrays cycling as inherently dangerous, despite it being a routine and safe mode of transport for people of all ages in the Netherlands.