Belgium to Mandate Helmets for Faster E-Scooter Riders Starting September 1

Belgium will make helmets mandatory for riders of faster e-scooters from Sept. 1, the federal mobility ministry said Friday.

Under the new ministry announcement, helmets will be compulsory for users of motorized personal transport devices with a maximum design speed that “exceeds 20 kilometres per hour,” regardless of how fast they are actually traveling.

Riders can wear either a moped helmet or a bicycle helmet, provided it protects “the temples and the back of the head.”

The ministry pointed to mounting evidence of serious injuries from e-scooter accidents. “International studies, medical and accident statistics all point in the same direction,” it said, with head and brain injuries particularly common in severe and fatal crashes involving electric scooters.

Belgium only permits e-scooters with a maximum speed of 25 km/h on public roads. The new mandate targets models capable of going between 20 and 25 km/h.

The Brussels government recently reversed its decision to ban shared e-scooters from its streets as of September 2026, allowing them to circulate until the end of the year. Belgium previously tightened e-scooter rules in 2022, barring most under-16s, passengers and pavement riding, while imposing new parking restrictions.