I lived in Amsterdam for a couple of years, and it was great to be in a country that respected cyclists.

As it was explained to me, the rule was that in the event of any accident between a car and a cyclist, it was automatically the car driver's fault. Which seemed like a pretty good strategy for improving cyclists' safety to me.

I'd always wear a helmet though, since it doesn't matter who's at fault, it's always the cyclist that comes off worst.