Riding a bike, e-bike or e-scooter is dangerous compared to travelling in a car. In 2020, cyclists and e-bikers together accounted for the largest share (38%) of total serious accidents on Switzerland’s roads. However, despite the odds of serious accidents, surprisingly few wear helmets, according to a survey by TCS.
Overall, the survey, based on observing roughly 3,000 people on bikes, e-bikes, scooters and e-scooters over 44 days, found that only 52% were wearing helmets.
The helmet wearing champions were the residents of Ticino, where 72% of pure pedal-powered cyclists wore head protection, compared to 52% in French-speaking Switzerland and 43% in German-speaking Switzerland. A similar regional pattern was observed for fast and slow e-bikes.
Rates also varied depending on the mode of transport. Only 46% of cyclists were wearing helmets, a rate that climbed to 68% for speed-limited e-bikes and to 92% for faster e-bikes – the law requires riders of fast e-bikes to wear helmets.
More on this:
TCS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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