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40,000 students receive helmet reminder with graduation cap
🇩🇰 Denmark /Culture & Society

40,000 students receive helmet reminder with graduation cap

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Denmark's Road Safety Council is sending postcards to 40,000 graduating students with a message about helmet use.
  • The postcards feature a graduation cap shaped like a bicycle helmet, urging students to "take care of your smart head."
  • The campaign aims to encourage young people to prioritize safety, especially when cycling after parties.

As Denmark celebrates its graduating students, the Council for Safe Traffic is sending a unique message to 40,000 young people: remember your bicycle helmet. Postcards designed to accompany the traditional graduation caps feature the headwear reimagined as a bicycle helmet, bearing the slogan "Take care of your smart head."

They have certainly earned the celebrations, but it should ideally not end in accidents and injuries that can have consequences for the rest of their lives.

— Jakob Bøving ArendtCEO of the Council for Safe Traffic, explaining the campaign's purpose.

The initiative aims to remind students to prioritize their safety, particularly when cycling home from the numerous summer celebrations. Jakob Bøving Arendt, CEO of the Council for Safe Traffic, emphasized the importance of enjoying the festivities without incurring life-altering injuries.

"They have certainly earned the celebrations, but it should ideally not end in accidents and injuries that can have consequences for the rest of their lives," Arendt stated in a press release. He advised students to leave their bikes if their blood alcohol level is high and, if cycling, to always wear a helmet, leaving the graduation cap safely stored.

Therefore, we remind them to leave the bike when the blood alcohol level is high, and if they cycle, that they then always remember the bicycle helmet and leave the graduation cap in the bicycle basket while doing so.

— Jakob Bøving ArendtCEO of the Council for Safe Traffic, advising students on safe cycling practices.

Recent surveys highlight the need for such campaigns. A 2024 study for the Council found that nearly half of respondents aged 18-24 reported always or almost always cycling with a helmet. However, another 2025 study revealed that almost one-third of cyclists aged 18-20 had ridden intoxicated in the past year.

We meet young people at the Brain Injury Association whose lives have been changed from one moment to the next after a cycling accident – some have to relearn basic things and live afterward with cognitive, physical, and social consequences for the rest of their lives.

— Morten LorenzenDirector of the Brain Injury Association, emphasizing the severe consequences of cycling accidents.

The campaign extends beyond postcards, with public displays in several cities and social media reminders. Morten Lorenzen, director of the Brain Injury Association, supports the initiative, noting the devastating impact of cycling accidents on young lives. "We meet young people at the Brain Injury Association whose lives have been changed from one moment to the next after a cycling accident – some have to relearn basic things and live afterward with cognitive, physical, and social consequences for the rest of their lives," he said.

Therefore, it is so important to use a bicycle helmet and leave the bicycle when one is very drunk.

— Morten LorenzenDirector of the Brain Injury Association, endorsing the safety campaign.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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