Dutch roads less safe; car accidents up 8 pct.

The number of car accidents on roads in the Netherlands increased by 8 percent from 462 thousand in 2014 to over 500 thousand last year, according to figures from the Association of Insurers, RTL Nieuws reports.

The total number of accidents - cars, truckcs, vans, buses etc. - increased by 6.5 percent from 790 thousand in 2014 to 841 thousand in 2015.

Though there are no figures on the matter, the association believes that smartphones play a big roll in the increasing number of traffic accidents. "It involves making calls and using social media while driving, although there are no hard figures", CEO Richard Weurding said.

Other contributing factors include the police pulling over fewer cars and the "slightly outdated" infrastructure in some areas of the Netherlands, according to the assoiaiton.