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Austria is preparing to tighten its road safety regulations, with a new helmet requirement for young riders of E‑Bikes and E‑Scooters potentially coming into force as early as 1 May 2026. Although the measure has not yet been passed by Parliament, lawmakers are under pressure to finalize the 36th amendment to the Road Traffic Act (StVO).
Under the current draft, children would be required to wear a helmet when cycling until the age of twelve, when riding E‑Bikes until fourteen, and when using E‑Scooters until sixteen. The proposal expands existing rules but stops short of introducing a universal helmet mandate for all age groups.
Experts Question the Age Limits
For many road safety specialists, the age‑based approach is difficult to justify. Klaus Robatsch, head of traffic safety at the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV), argues that the regulation fails to reflect real accident patterns.
“Head injuries can be fatal at any age,” Robatsch warns. He points out that all E‑Scooter fatalities in 2023 and 2024 involved riders older than sixteen, and all deadly E‑Bike accidents involved individuals older than fourteen. “Laws must be clear and easy to understand. These inconsistent rules do not meet that standard,” he adds.
Helmet Use Remains Low Among Adults
KFV data from 2025 shows that only 67 percent of E‑Bike riders wear helmets, while the rate among E‑Scooter users is a mere ten percent. Most E‑Bike accidents involve people aged 50 and above, and children rarely use these vehicles. In fact, 97 percent of injured E‑Bike riders were older than fourteen, yet only 43 percent of them wore helmets.
If the amendment passes as drafted, these adult riders would still not be required to wear protective headgear—despite being the group most affected by serious accidents.
High Risk Without a Helmet
According to KFV calculations, the risk of sustaining a traumatic brain injury is more than six times higher without a helmet. Robatsch emphasizes the potential impact of a broader mandate: “If everyone wore a helmet while riding E‑Bikes and E‑Scooters, Austria would see more than 1,000 fewer traumatic brain injuries each year.”
Medical and Emergency Services Call for Action
The push for a universal helmet requirement is gaining momentum beyond traffic experts. Emergency physicians, trauma specialists, and rescue organizations have issued strong warnings about the consequences of inaction.
Among the groups advocating for an age‑independent helmet mandate are the Vienna professional rescue service, the Austrian Society for Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (ÖGARI), expert committees of MedUni Vienna, Martin Air Rescue, the Austrian Society for Emergency and Disaster Medicine (ÖNK), the Austrian Society for Neurosurgery (ÖGNC), trauma working groups of the Austrian Society for Trauma Surgery (ÖGU), AUVA, ÖAMTC, and the Austrian Research Association for Road‑Rail‑Transport.
Even outside the medical field, support is growing. Food delivery company Lieferando and E‑Scooter retailer Digishop have publicly endorsed a universal helmet rule, citing safety concerns for both customers and employees.
- source: heute.at/picture: Image by Janik Lipke from Pixabay
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