Novice drivers causing serious accidents more often

People who just got their driver's license were more likely to cause serious accidents in the past years. The number of penalty points for violations also increased sharply for novice drivers in the past few years, EenVandaag reports based on data from the Public Prosecution Service (OM). 

In the Netherlands, you're considered a novice driver for the first five to seven years, driving with a beginner's license. If you have two serious violations in that period, you have to go to licensing department CBR for an investigation. According to EenVandaag, there has been a clear increase in serious accidents in recent years involving novice drivers. These accidents involved serious injuries or even fatalities.

The OM data also showed that the number of penalty points for novice drivers almost doubled in a few years. "You get a penalty point if you drive dangerously or recklessly, drive too fast, or have an accident with damage or injury," national traffic officer Achilles Damen said to the program. 

The OM told EeenVandaag that it's noticed an increase in dangerous behavior on the road "across the board." In 2019, the police handed out just under 6,000 penalty points. Last year, that increased to 9,000. 

"Normally, a driver's license is confiscated by the police on the street immediately after a criminal offense, and then the OM decides within ten days whether it was legally correct and attach a term to it," a spokesperson for the OM said. The OM could not break down how many licenses were confiscated from novice drivers. 

According to the OM, substance use, speeding, and distraction are the main causes of traffic accidents.