Road users
Road users are all persons who use the road. They are also called traffic participants or in short traffic. As not all road users follow the same rules, they are subdivided. The first subdivision is between pedestrians and drivers.
- Traffic
Traffic or traffic participants are the same as road users.
- Road users
Pedestrians, cyclists, moped riders, drivers of disability vehicles, motor vehicles or trams, horse riders, handlers of horses and livestock and drivers of horse drawn vehicles and handcarts.
- Vehicles
Cyclists, mopeds (including snorfietsen, speed pedelecs and brommobielen), disability vehicles, motor vehicles, trams and carriages.
Extra information road users
Pedestrians
Pedestrians are usually people on foot. Someone that walks with a bicycle, moped, speed pedelec or motorcycle in hand, also falls under the pedestrians. This also applies to people who move around by means of an object that does not fall under vehicles, such as a child’s scooter, skateboard or inline skates.
Someone who moves around on inline skates falls under the category ‘pedestrians’.
If you walk with your bicycle in hand, you are also a pedestrian.
- Drivers
All road users except pedestrians.
Drivers
Drivers are people who operate something. This can be a vehicle but also a draft or livestock animal for example. Someone walking with a horse on the reins also falls under this, as well as handlers of livestock. In the end, all road users that do not fall under pedestrians, are drivers.
All road users that do not fall under the category ‘pedestrians’ are drivers. Pedestrians + drivers = road users
- Disability vehicle
Vehicle that is equipped for transporting a disabled person, no wider than 1.10 metres and not fitted with an engine, or fitted with an engine whose maximum construction speed does not exceed 45 km/h and is not a moped.
Drivers of disability vehicles
Drivers of disability vehicles can both fall under the rules of pedestrians and drivers. This depends on where they are driving. If they drive on the carriageway or the cycle lane, the cycle path or cycle/moped path, then they follow the rules of drivers. If they drive on the pavement or the footpath, or if they are crossing between one pavement or footpath to the other, then they follow the rules of pedestrians.
The driver of the disability vehicle must follow the rules of drivers here.
In this situation they are a pedestrian as they are driving on the pavement.
- Moped
A motorised vehicle on two, three or four wheels, which cannot and may not exceed 45 km/h. Mopeds also include the brommobiel, snorfiets and speed pedelec.
- Brommobiel
A moped on more than two wheels, that is equipped with a body. A brommobiel is not a disability vehicle and weighs a maximum of 350 kg.
- Snorfiets
Moped designed for a maximum construction speed of 25 km/h according to the vehicle registration register. An electric bicycle (also called a bicycle with pedal assistance) does not fall under this.
- Speed pedelec
Fast electric bicycle with pedal assistance of which the electric engine keeps working even if the vehicle is going faster than 25 km/h. This is different than a normal electric bicycle or bicycle with pedal assistance, as with these bicycles, the propulsion stops at 25 km/h.
As a speed pedelec falls under the mopeds, a driver of a speed pedelec may go a maximum of 45 km/h.
- Motor vehicles
All motorised vehicles except:
- mopeds (including brommobielen, snorfietsen and speed pedelecs);
- bicycles with pedal assistance;
- disability vehicles;
- trams;
- metros;
- trains.
- Motor carriages
All motor vehicles, including mopeds (including brommobielen, snorfietsen and speed pedelecs) and motorised disability vehicles. Like the motor vehicles, trams, metros and trains are not included.
Drivers of motor vehicles
There are a few motorised vehicles that are not classed as motor vehicles. This also means that drivers of these vehicles do not follow the rules that apply to drivers of motor vehicles. There is one exception to this. A brommobiel falls under the mopeds and is therefore not a motor vehicle. But on the public road, a driver of a brommobiel should act like a driver of a motor vehicle and keep to those rules. Something that is not allowed for a driver of a motor vehicle, is also not allowed for the driver of a brommobiel.
Drivers of cyclists, mopeds, snorfietsen and speed pedelecs
Not only the driver of a brommobiel follows different rules than ‘normal’ mopeds. A driver of a snorfiets follows the rules of cyclists instead. If there is a bicycle symbol on a sign, this sign also applies to the driver of a snorfiets, unless otherwise indicated. On the contrary, drivers of speed pedelecs do follow moped rules.
| Falls under the category: | Follows the rules of: | |
|---|---|---|
| Brommobiel | Mopeds | Motor vehicles |
| Snorfiets | Mopeds | Cyclists |
| Speed pedelec | Mopeds | Mopeds |
Horse riders and handlers of horses and livestock
This group falls under the drivers. It does not matter whether this person is riding a horse or livestock or walking next to it. If you are riding a horse, you are a driver. But if you are walking next to a horse (or cow) on a lead, or if you are guiding it, you are also a driver. This applies to all draft animals and livestock.
As regular pets are not draft animals or livestock, you are just a pedestrian when you are walking your dog.
Drivers of carriages
These are drivers of horse drawn carts and handcarts. Horse drawn carts are carts with one or more horses in front of it. Hand drawn carts are carts pushed by people. Besides these two vehicles, pedestrians forming a procession or a convoy also fall under carriages. With this you should think of a funeral procession consisting of pedestrians or a carnival parade.