Remember the helmet: Bicycle helmets are legally required when riding an e-scooter

In December 2020, the Transportation Ministry announced that starting in 2022 people would be required to wear a helmet when driving the popular electric scooters and other small motorized vehicles. 

The legal requirement is now officially in effect as of January 1, 2022.

The new requirement applies to electric scooters, motorized skateboards, and self-balance vehicles (for example uniwheels). 

The requirement to wear a helmet is for all ages. The police further reported that children (those under the age of 15) must be under parental or adult (18 years or older) supervision if they use these motorized vehicles. 

Seven times higher risk

The risk of being involved in a traffic accident while using a motorized scooter is seven times higher than a bicycle.  

Danish Transport Authorities reported this in their evaluation of the pilot scheme for evaluating motorized scooters. 

These trends led the Minister for Transport, Benny Engelbrecht, to introduce the legal requirement of wearing a helmet when operating a motorized scooter.

“We all must feel safe and secure in traffic. This includes those on electric scooters, but currently, this is not the case.

We need to act if we expect to reverse the trend of people becoming injured. Therefore, we have decided to introduce the legal requirement that all operating a motorized scooter must wear a helmet,” Minister for Transport Benny Engelbrecht said in 2020.