Some 8% of all 17-year-olds in the Netherlands have a driving licence, the highest percentage since the minimum driving age was reduced from 18 in 2011.

At the same time, the number of teenagers with a moped licence has dropped from 11% to just under 10%, the national statistics office CBS said on Friday.

The 2toDrive scheme allows teenagers to start lessons at 16 and take the test as soon as they turn 17. They can then drive with a designated coach until they turn 18 and get a full licence.

The new system began after experiments in Germany showed a sharp reduction in accidents involving new drivers. In the Netherlands, learner drivers have to take lessons from an authorised driving school rather than friends or family.

Preliminary research from the road safety institute SWOV has also shown that people who started driving at 16 are 26% less likely to be involved in an accident than those who started later.