Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen says it has treated a record-high number of severe brain injuries this summer after cyclists fell without helmets. The hospital’s warning was published by DR on August 12, 2026.
DR reports that Niels Agerlin, a neurosurgeon and senior consultant at the hospital’s Department of Brain and Nerve Surgery, is seeing cyclists arrive with serious head trauma. He said riders without a helmet can hit their heads violently when they strike the asphalt. Agerlin also handles organ donation duties at Rigshospitalet.
According to DR, the consequences of such a fall can include major bleeding in the brain. In some cases the brain swells so much that surgeons must remove part of the skull to make room. Agerlin told DR that he and colleagues who know what can happen all ride with a helmet.
TV 2 Kosmopol had already described the record number of brain injuries at the hospital following helmetless falls. The Copenhagen Post reported the same warning in English, putting the count at 10 to 15 severe traumatic brain injuries this year, against two or three in previous summers. The outlet added that alcohol was involved in some cases, and that patients included Danish men of all ages.
DR notes that helmets are not legally required on ordinary bicycles or on legal e-bikes in Denmark, though experts strongly recommend them. Agerlin said the pattern is not limited to e-bikes, and that ordinary bicycles, electric scooters and skateboards also feature in the injury cases. He added that riders with electric assistance often reach speeds they could not produce with their legs, which makes riding less stable.
Calls for a helmet requirement
Rådet for Sikker Trafik wants a legal helmet requirement for all forms of e-bikes. Its managing director, Jakob Bøving Arendt, said on DR’s P1 Morgen on August 11 that anything with a motor carries a higher risk per kilometer than an ordinary bicycle. He said a good place to start would be requiring helmets on all motorized cycles.
DR ties the timing to the summer cycling season, when warm weather puts far more riders on the cycle paths. The broadcaster also points to a warning published days earlier in Jyllands-Posten, in which police described a growing problem with illegal, tuned e-bikes creating dangerous situations. Rådet for Sikker Trafik said it sees the same trend.
Agerlin told DR that a legal helmet requirement for electric vehicles is not a bad idea. He said there is no doubt that a helmet protects the skull and brain from impact, and that the force of a blow would be markedly smaller, possibly small enough to avoid hospitalization. Denmark’s traffic rules currently leave the choice to the rider.
