The helmet requirement for light-moped riders will be introduced at the request of the Lower House. VVD and PVV are against. The supporters in the House of Representatives have long believed that the VVD minister is delaying with the proposal and are pointing to doctors. They see that many people are injured by not wearing a helmet.
According to Van Nieuwenhuizen, it will now take longer than expected to introduce a helmet requirement due to ‘unforeseen bottlenecks’. According to the traffic minister, making too much haste can cause ‘damage’ to the Council of State.
There are also many practical obstacles. For example, a moped would fall outside the new rules and a tricycle moped would not. Another point is the question of which helmet people should wear exactly. TNO is still researching this and expects to be able to give results only in November. The minister also fears a financial problem for people who have to buy a helmet and who have consciously opted for this means of transport in order not to make such an investment.
‘After elections’
Van Nieuwenhuizen now seems to be lifting political decision-making towards or even beyond the elections, says CDA MP and initiator of duty Wytske Postma. “In our opinion, it can be much earlier. The minister makes it unnecessarily complex. ”
GL MP Kröger is furious: “This trainer is a slap in the face of the doctors who – rightly – advocate this.” Whether postponement will be canceled depends on the coming months. The elections are in March. As soon as it is out-of-office, the cabinet will make a list of ‘controversial’ topics. They are for the next cabinet. It is ultimately up to the House to decide what is and what is not ‘controversial’.
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