From 1 September, helmets are compulsory for riders of electric scooters capable of travelling at speeds exceeding 20 kilometres per hour. The regulation has been introduced by the Federal Mobility Ministry.
The helmet requirement does not depend on the speed at which a rider is travelling, but on the maximum speed the scooter is capable of reaching according to the manufacturer. The Royal Decree that enters force today states that the requirement applies to riders of “a motorised personal mobility device whose maximum speed, as determined by its design, exceeds 20 kilometres per hour”.
The rider may choose either a moped helmet or a cycling helmet that also protects the temples and the back of the head.
According to the Mobility Ministry, the measure is intended to improve road safety. “International studies and medical and accident statistics all point in the same direction: in serious and fatal accidents involving motorised vehicles, and in particular electric scooters, head and brain injuries are particularly common,” it states. Furthermore, the risk of serious injury increases as speed rises.
In Belgium, only electric scooters capable of travelling at a maximum speed of 25 kilometres per hour are permitted. The new compulsory helmet rule therefore applies to scooters with a design speed of between 20 and 25 kilometres per hour.
According to the government, one of the reasons why the requirement does not apply to all e-scooters is the desire not to discourage people from swapping their car for a (share) scooter for short journeys.
For share e-scooters, a helmet is not compulsory if the operator has limited the maximum speed to 20 kilometres per hour. According to the Mobility Ministry, this is often already the case in practice, and this speed limit is usually included in the operating licence.