The number of children ending up in hospital after a cycling accident has risen by 30% over the past five years, according to new figures from the consumer safety foundation Consument en Veiligheid.

Last year, some 1,100 needed medical treatment for bike-related injuries, even though there was no increase in the number of accidents, the foundation said.
Very young children and those in the last year of primary school are the most likely to be hurt. ‘Small children lose their balance, something surprises them and they fall off,’ the foundation’s Cees Meijer told Trouw. ‘Older children are chatting or playing with their mobile phone.’
Some 80% of cycling accidents do not involve another bike or vehicle, but are often due to poor maintenance and badly-positioned street furniture.