The National Association for the Advancement of Road Safety, NTF, has measured the use of bicycle helmets in people aged 16 to 64, on a couple of bicycle lanes in Uppsala and Stockholm, among others. And the measurements show a clear picture.

- In Stockholm, today you are a little outside if you do not use a helmet, it has become cool there. In Uppsala, we are not quite there yet, ”says Malte Burwick, head of NTF East.

Twice as many users in Stockholm

Only two out of five, ie 40 percent of cyclists in Uppsala, use helmets daily. In Stockholm, the figure is double, four out of five, ie 80 percent. NTF believes that the wider number of users in Stockholm is due to the fact that the traffic environment looks different in Uppsala.

- There is more and heavier traffic there daily, says Malte Burwick.

Malte Burwick, Head of NTF East. Photo: SVT

But how do you get more people to use helmets in Uppsala?

- We have to get better at campaigns where we inform about the risks you take when choosing the helmet. For many, it does only for superficial reasons, says Malte Burwick.

He also points out that one cannot blame the hairstyle being ruined anymore.

- There are no excuses! Now there is the Swedish invention which is like a collar, and inflates like an airbag if needed. You don't even have to put it on your head, he says.

More men than women are users in Uppsala

In Uppsala, the figures are based on just over a thousand observed cyclists, while in Stockholm they are based on about five thousand.

The statistics also show that more men than women wear helmets in Uppsala and Stockholm, on the contrary. There, women are a little better at bicycle helmet use than men.

In the clip you can see a comparison of what it looks like in Uppsala and Stockholm in the middle of rush hour.