There is a police station across the street from our row of houses (we live on a corner). The other night we were coming back from down town – on Thursday night the shops are open until 9pm – there were several policemen on the corner talking with a group of bikers.

We thought there had been another accident because shortly after we moved into our townhouse here in Groningen, a biker was hit by a car on the corner. We missed most of the excitement, but saw the chalk outline of a body on the street and there were police interviewing the witnesses. Since then we’ve seen several near accidents and a few minor collisions – sometimes bikes into bikes!

Our corner is bit tricky to navigate by bike. For cars it is two one-way streets crossing each other. In one direction there is a stop sign; the other drivers get the right away. For bikes, the rules are the same as the cars, in theory. Problem is, many Dutch bikers seem to take advantage of the unwritten rule that if a biker gets hit by a car, it’s ALWAYS the car’s fault. Problem is, there are so many bikers that the cars sometimes can’t keep track of them all. Needless to say, it can be a bit harried at times especially after dark.

So when we arrived home to the sight of bikers and the police, we assumed it was another accident. However, after watching the scene for a few minutes, we couldn’t believe our eyes – the police were “pulling bikers over”! It was like a typical Canadian “road block” on long weekends when they are looking for drivers who’ve been drinking.

We were puzzled and looked on for a while trying to determine the reason. Was it drunkenness? Lack of proper hand signals? Failing to yield to cars? We finally figured out that that it was because they didn’t have their headlights on!

This struck us as particularly funny to watch. It was most entertaining when we’d see a biker without a headlight approaching the scene. He’d realize the situation and come to an abrupt stop. Then he’d jump off his bike and start walking it in the opposite direction.

We had no idea that this was a common infraction since to us it would be silly to bike around in the dark without a light. But judging from the number of people getting pulled over that night, it is a significant problem. So I did some googling to find out the requirements for bikers in Holland. This is what I found:

Legal requirements for bicycles (via www.holland.com) include:
* safe and adequate handle bars
* a clearly audible and functioning bell
* adequate lighting at the front and the back after dark
* a reflector on rear mudguard and one between the spokes
* reflecting pedals

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to determine the fee associated with violating the above requirements. However, we have now witnessed first hand that there is in fact a fine issued if you are caught. And obviously, no one wants to be caught. I also read somewhere that if you don't pay the fine, you might be delayed at customs the next time you enter the country.

We have always said that we wished there was a manual included with the purchase of a bike; one that would include road signs and laws about right-of-way, etc. But alas, there is not one available – not even one in Dutch. (That’s because these people are practically born on bikes so why would they take the time to put common knowledge into a booklet?).

So we are waiting the day that we get pulled over for violating some unwritten biking rule…