Table of contents

• Additional lighting for motorcyclists Netherlands prohibit lights on clothing and helmets
• “Total ban is not a good idea”
• Signal appearance is crucial
• Conclusion

Tali

counselor

traffic & business

Motorcyclist lighting: NL prohibits lights on clothing and helmets

Additional lighting for motorcyclists
Netherlands prohibit lights on clothing and helmets

The Dutch government would now like to ban additional lights on clothing and helmets of motorcyclists, as the lights “can confuse”.

Dina Dervisevic

March 20, 2020

The idea behind additional lights on motorcycle clothing and helmets is for visibility. However, according to the Dutch government, this does not only have advantages. “More and more motorcyclists are attaching lights to their clothing or helmets”, says Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management. This could be confusing for other road users and lead to risky situations. Therefore motorcyclists should not use more than the prescribed lights.

“Total ban is not a good idea”

Of course, there are also dissenting votes in the Netherlands. For example from Arjan Everink, the head of the traffic and training department of the Dutch motorcycle association KNMV: “A motorcyclist should do (almost) everything to increase his visibility in traffic.” He also explains: “According to our investigations, we know that motorcyclists are regularly not seen or seen too late by other road users. A dangerous situation is the result. Additional lights on the equipment and / or on the helmet ensure better visibility of the motorcyclist in traffic. However, the shape and area of ​​these luminaires must be taken into account. The proposed total ban is not a good idea and will not reduce the number of accidents.”

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The ban on additional lighting in the Netherlands does not come as a surprise. As early as 2016, the Dutch government announced that it would ban additional lights for motorcyclists. It remains to be seen whether the assessments of the motorcycle associations and the opinions of motorcyclists can still lead to the ban being averted. And the question remains whether this ban will also be taken up by other countries. In Germany, no such express regulation has yet been applied.

Signal appearance is crucial

According to the road traffic regulations in Germany, the signal image is also decisive. In this case: The motorcycle lighting must make it unmistakably clear to other road users that it is a motorcycle. “In addition, it applies that only the lights on the motorcycle that are compulsory or additionally permitted. If a certain lighting technology is not mentioned in the law, it is also not permitted.”, so the passage from the StVZO. Next it is called on bussgeldkatalog.org/motorrad-lighting:

Exceptions to this rule are only permitted if they can contribute to increased road safety. For example, additional yellow reflectors are permitted on the sides of the motorcycle if this makes the side of the vehicle more visible. Yellow reflective strips on the flank can also be approved if they do not form a lettering but a horizontal line. The side visibility at night is also increased by white reflective rim stickers – it is crucial that the signal image is not changed.

Conclusion

A motorcycle jacket with integrated red flashing LEDs on the back, which shine brighter than the rear light or even the brake light, naturally ensure better visibility. But also for confusion, since the motorcycle will probably not be recognized as such at first – not even by other motorcyclists. Nevertheless: instead of a general ban, specific regulations would be much more sensible. How bright can the lights be? To what extent may they be appropriate? And where? Sure, that’s more time-consuming than a ban. But if it is for security …

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