Dutch
to ban cyclists from using mobile phones, apart from hands-free
Society December 12,
2016
Transport minister
Melanie Schultz is to introduce new legislation banning cyclists from
using their mobile phones unless they telephone hands-free and using
headphones. Schultz said in May she would investigate a potential ban
on the use of mobile phones while cycling after figures emerged
showing phones had a role in some 20% of bike accidents involving
youngsters. Efforts to make youngsters aware of the dangers via
educational programmes have failed to produce sufficient results and
a ban is now on the cards, Schultz said in a briefing to parliament.
The minister did not say when the ban would be introduced or how high
the fines are likely to be. Drivers caught using their mobile phones
without a hands-free system face a fine of €230. New figures from
the national statistics office CBS show that 185 cyclists were killed
on the Dutch roads in 2015, in line with previous years. Elderly
cyclists are the most likely to die. The figures show that between
2011 and 2015, 40% of cyclists dying in traffic accidents were over
the age of 75.
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