Overview

• Frank Flake, chair of the Deutscher Berufsverband Rettungsdienst, told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung that a helmet mandate should apply to pedal‑assist bikes.
• Emergency crews report encountering frequent severe head injuries among Pedelec riders at crash scenes.
• Official figures from the Federal Statistical Office show 192 Pedelec fatalities last year, roughly unchanged from the previous year.
• Flake warned that falls at pedal‑assist speeds up to 25 km/h can be life‑threatening.
• Rescue teams say bystanders increasingly film accident victims, prompting them to shield patients with tarps and to pursue charges against gawkers.