E-Bike use may require helmets, license plates

From 2017 fast electric bikes will be required to have a licence plate. Riders will also have to wear a helmet, though a full-face helmet will not be required. A lighter and more breathable sports helmet will be acceptable, the Dutch government decided, according to newspaper AD. The so-called speed pedelec, which reaches speeds up to 45 kilometers per hour, is rapidly gaining popularity. Which is why the government decided new rules are necessary. It hasn't yet be decided whether the fast electric bikes will be banned from bike paths, like the moped. Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen of Infrastructure and Environment will look into the possibilities of doing so along with local authorities. The speed pedelec currently falls under the same legislation as that of the moped. This means that the maximum allowed speed is 25 kilometers per hour and you do not have to wear a helmet, but have to be over 16 years of age to ride one.