Cyclists, mopeds and the blind spot

By Mustafa Aybek · maker of Rijtheorie Hub · sources: RVV 1990, cbr.nl · last updated 2026-10-11

Turning right and the crossing cyclist: the single most dangerous moment in the Netherlands

• Straight-going cyclist always keeps priority over you
• Classic 'right-turn error': most Amsterdam crashes
• Glance over your right shoulder just before turning
• Mirrors do not show the blind-spot cyclist
• Rule holds even without shark's teeth markings
• Slow down well before the corner to stop

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Big mistake: relying on mirrors only. The right-rear blind spot falls outside both mirrors — you MUST turn your head (the shoulder check).
• Cyclist squeezing between you and the kerb: many Amsterdam cyclists pass on the right of your car, exactly where you are turning. Always expect it, even on green.
• Light-mopeds (blue plate, 25 km/h) move faster than you expect and appear right beside you; they may also ride on the roadway and pop up on your left.
• At a green filter arrow that lets you turn, cyclists often have green at the same time — a green for you is NOT free passage across the cycle path.
• Scaled-up truck/bus version: if a larger vehicle in front of you turns right, never wait alongside its right side; you are then in ITS blind spot.

Opening your door: the 'Dutch reach' and safe passing distance

• A door open at head height is potentially fatal
• In a 'dooring' the driver is held liable
• Dutch reach: open with your right hand
• Rear passengers do it too, beside the path
• Only pass with generous, ample space
• No room? Adjust speed and wait behind

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Rear passengers must use the Dutch reach too; children often step out without looking, so keep their door child-locked until it is safe.
• Cyclists regularly ride against the traffic flow or over the pavement; before getting out, look both ways, not only behind.
• Mopeds approach faster and more silently (electric) than an ordinary bike — you often will not hear them, so you must see them.
• In narrow Amsterdam streets along a canal there is sometimes no separate cycle strip; car and bike share the roadway and passing room is minimal — then simply stay behind.
• 'Cutting off' a cyclist by pulling right just in front of them (e.g. to park) also counts as endangerment, not only the door.

Light-moped versus moped: who rides where, and the Amsterdam helmet rule on the cycle path

• Snorfiets: blue plate, 25 km/h, cycle path
• Bromfiets: yellow plate, 45 km/h, roadway
• Snorfiets helmet required since 1 January 2023
• Amsterdam since 2019: snorfiets on the roadway
• Slow 25 km/h snorfiets may sit mid-lane
• Overtake them with generous space, like a cyclist

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Tuned light-mopeds: many 'snorfietsen' actually ride far faster than 25 km/h — never judge their speed from the blue plate.
• The 'snorfiets to the roadway' zone does not cover all of Amsterdam but designated areas; outside that zone the same light-moped may be back on the cycle path.
• Speed-pedelecs (fast e-bikes, also a yellow plate, up to 45 km/h) count as a moped: helmet required and they generally belong on the roadway, not a normal cycle path.
• An ordinary electric bike (pedal assist up to 25 km/h, no plate) is legally still a bicycle and belongs on the cycle path — do not confuse it with a light-moped.
• A sign showing a blue bike AND a moped = compulsory cycle/moped path; a sign showing only a blue bike = cyclists and light-mopeds only, mopeds must use the roadway there.

The bicycle street ('cars are guests') and cyclists who ride everywhere and ignore rules

• Reddish-brown surface and 'cars are guests' sign
• Stay behind, don't pressure, match their pace
• Drive at walking speed, keep plenty of distance
• Expect cyclists everywhere, often ignoring rules
• Red lights, no lights, wrong-way, two abreast
• You stay liable even when cyclist is wrong

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• 'Cars are guests' does not give the cyclist legal priority over side streets — at a junction the normal priority rules still apply (right has priority, shark's teeth, etc.).
• Cyclists riding without lights are almost invisible at night; in dark Amsterdam streets and on bridges you must actively scan for them.
• Two cyclists riding abreast is legal; you may not force them into single file by scraping past.
• Tourists on rental bikes often look the wrong way (used to driving on the left) and hesitate in the middle of the road — give them extra room and time.
• On a bicycle street the cyclist expects you to yield; driving aggressively close or honking is seen as intimidation and is itself dangerous.

Cargo bikes, children and the truck blind spot

• Cargo bike: heavy, slow to accelerate, swings wide
• Give extra room and time at junctions
• Children are unpredictable; may suddenly veer out
• Kids may not cycle on the pavement either; under 12 just no fine
• Truck blind spots: right of and in front of cab
• Never sit right of a right-turning truck

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• A cargo bike can be as long as a small car; overtaking needs more time and room than you think — do not start one just before a junction.
• In the Netherlands children may not cycle on the pavement either: there is no age exception (RVV art. 5). Under-12s simply cannot be fined, so you often see them there — and they shoot onto a driveway or crossing; take extra care near schools and playgrounds.
• With a larger vehicle the rule is: if you cannot see the driver's mirror, the driver cannot see you. This applies to buses and refuse trucks in narrow streets too.
• A child may suddenly cross from between parked cars; slow down along rows of parked cars and whenever a ball rolls into the road.
• Electric cargo bikes pull away surprisingly fast from a standstill — do not misjudge them as a 'slow' ordinary bike.

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