Helmet obligation

Drivers and passengers of a moped, speed pedelec and a snorfiets must wear a well-fitting helmet. It must be properly secured to the head by means of a strap and it must be provided with an approval mark.

The helmet, the strap and the visor may not be damaged. The strap must always be used. Otherwise, to the law, this is equivalent to not wearing a helmet. You can get fined for this.

Seat belt instead of a helmet

You do not have to wear a helmet on a cargo moped or in a brommobiel with a roof. In a brommobiel with seat belts, using the seat belt is required. Only brommobielen heavier than 250 kg must have seat belts.

Responsibility helmet and seat belt obligation

As a driver, you are responsible for the safe transport of your passengers. But that responsibility also lies with the passenger themselves. Is your passenger 12 years or older, then they will get a fine if they do not wear a helmet or seat belt. Passengers up to and including 11 years old are not responsible themselves. When they do not wear a helmet or seat belt you, as the driver, will be fined.

Helmet choice

There are a lot of different helmets to choose from, all with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Full face helmet

The full face helmet is the most covering helmet and with that offers the most safety. Important features are the fixed chin piece and the flip-up visor. The more luxurious versions have a sun visor behind the normal visor, that you can push down during sunny weather.

The most important disadvantages of the full face helmet is the reduced contact with your surroundings because you can hear less, and you can also be heard less well due to the chin piece. In addition, the visor fogs up quicker. This helmet is also more troublesome for people who wear glasses.

Modular helmet

The modular helmet is similar to the full face helmet. The only difference is that the chin piece, including the visor, can be flipped up. There is little difference in safety compared to the full face helmet. The most important advantages of the modular helmet relative to the full face helmet are the ease with which you can communicate as soon as you flip up the chin piece and the greater comfort for people wearing glasses.

Riding with an opened modular helmet is, depending on the approval mark, often not allowed. A good number of modular helmets are only approved when they are closed. That means that when they are flipped up, they do not have approval and riding like that is also prohibited.

A few modular helmets are approved both with an opened and a closed chin piece. With these helmets, riding with a flipped up chin piece is then allowed. You can recognise whether this is allowed by the approval mark.

For example, it may contain the letter P (protective). This indicates that the chin piece takes on a part of the protection during a fall. If you have the chin piece flipped up, the helmet has less protection, which may cause it not to comply with the approval mark.

It could also contain the letters NP (non-protective). In that case, the helmet with chin piece does not protect better than the helmet without chin piece. This is of course a less protecting helmet. Lastly, it could also contain the letter J, which stands for ‘jethelm’ (open face helmet).

If there is a combination of J/P in a modular helmet, the helmet is both approved with and without a chin piece and you are then also allowed to ride with the chin piece flipped up. Of course, riding with a closed chin piece will be safer.

Open face helmet

The open face helmet is a helmet without a chin piece. Most open face helmets do have a visor, but with old-fashioned (pot)helmets, it may also be missing. Wearing eye protection by means of protective goggles is then wise. The open face helmet is a reasonably open helmet which also immediately means that, in the event of a fall, it protects less of the lower half of the face in particular.

The biggest advantages of an open face helmet are that you fell less closed in and that wearing glasses inside the helmet is usually not a problem. Communication is also easier, because the chin piece is missing.

Speed pedelec helmet

You do not have to wear a moped helmet on a speed pedelec or snorfiets. You are also allowed to wear a speed pedelec helmet. The requirements for a speed pedelec helmet are slightly different from those of a moped helmet. A normal cycling helmet is not enough; the helmet must comply with the approval mark of speed pedelec helmets (NTA 8776).

Most speed pedelec helmets do look a lot like cycle helmets, but continue further down the neck. More protection is also provided around the ear, and many speedpedelec helmets come with a visor.

Most important requirements upon purchase

If you have made up your mind on which helmet you are looking for, then there are a few other things you can and should consider in your decision.

• Choose a well-fitting helmet. This means that the helmet is just tight enough to be comfortable, but cannot be rotated on the head. Be properly informed in the shop!
• Make sure that the helmet is on your head properly when trying it on. The edge above the face should be resting just above the eyebrows and not halfway up your forehead.
• The helmet may not touch the back of your neck or back when looking up.
• After clasping the chin strap, there may be a maximum of 2 centimetres of slack between the chin strap and the chin.
• Always pay attention to the approval mark applied in the helmet. E4 means that the helmet was approved in the Netherlands; every country has its own number. A helmet must at least be approved according to the ECE 22 standard. There is another number behind this; currently this is ECE 22.05 or, the newest one, ECE 22.06. The higher this number is, the newer (and usually stricter) the requirements the helmet meets.
• Keep in mind that a brightly coloured, light helmet is always more visible in traffic than a dark coloured helmet. That therefore contributes to your safety.

Helmet maintenance

Just as with your vehicle, you must also maintain the helmet properly. Both the padding (inner shell) as well as the hard outer surface (outer shell) of the helmet take care of the distribution and absorption during a collision. Applying stickers to the helmet, or painting the helmet is not advised, as this can damage the outer shell of the helmet.

In addition, you cannot use a helmet indefinitely. Eventually, the inner shell will age and harden or become porous and absorb less force during a collision. Beside that, the helmet loosens around the head over time. It is advised to replace a helmet every 5 to 7 years. This period starts from the production date of the helmet.

Damaged helmet

If you have fallen and the helmet hit the ground or another object, it is wise to replace the helmet. Damage to the helmet is sometimes invisible, because it can also be on the inside of the helmet. The padding (inner shell) inside the helmet that is supposed to protect your head in an accident only works well once.

As protection is no longer guaranteed after an accident, you can no longer use the helmet. This is also why you should be very careful when buying a second-hand helmet. Always handle your helmet properly and prevent dropping it.

Cleaning the helmet

The visor of the helmet must be regularly cleaned to be able to maintain a good view. This also applies to any sun visor: an additional, dark visor that you can fold down if you are bothered by the sun. The best way to clean the visor is with a soft wet cloth. If necessary, leave it on the visor for a while to soak off the dirt. Drying off is also done with a soft cloth. Avoid using paper towels and strong or abrasive cleaning supplies, because it can damage the visor. Possibly use a cleaning agent that is meant for visors. Also regularly clean the outer shell the same way.

Protective clothing

In fact, mopeds and snorfietsen are slow motorcycles. Due to their lower speeds, the damage caused by a fall will also be less severe than with a motorcycle. The helmet is the most important form of protection here. With a moped, snorfiets or speed pedelec, it is not immediately necessary to purchase a full protective suit, as is the case with a motorcycle.

However, wearing only shorts and a T-shirt will result in significant abrasions in the event of a fall. The advice is to wear at least long trousers (jeans) and a jumper or long-sleeved jacket when riding. Long trousers also protect your legs from the hot exhaust pipe of a moped or snorfiets if you accidentally touch it when getting off after a ride.

Gloves will protect your hands and wrists during a fall and, of course, against the cold while riding. The latter is also important, because you need to be able to operate the brakes properly. This is much more difficult with cold hands.