The number of people who died in traffic accidents has risen for the second year running, according to new CBS figures.

In 2016,  629 people died in road accidents, eight more than in the previous year. That figure was up 51 compared with 2014. The greatest number of deaths occurred among people between the ages of 18 and 25 and drivers over 75.

Apart from 186 drivers and 45 passengers, 189 cyclists, 51 pedestrians, 38 people on mobility scooters, 41 moped users and 45 motorcyclists died in traffic accidents in 2016.

Peak times for deadly accidents taking place were between 7am and 9am and 4pm and 6pm with most deaths occurring in the provinces of Noord Brabant and Gelderland. More accidents take place on secondary roads than motorways.

The number of elderly drivers will be increasing in the future, according to CBS demographer Jan Latten.  ‘The baby boom generation is growing older. They have been used to driving a car all their lives and it’s become a way of life to them. They will stay behind the wheel well into their old age,’ Latten told the Volkskrant.

But more elderly drivers are by no means the only reason for the rising number of traffic deaths, the paper writes. One in five accidents involved alcohol while speeding was responsible for 30%.

One of the main recommendations of traffic organisations is a much more prominent role for the police in traffic control and more active checks.

They also recommend hiking up fines for people who use mobile phones while driving and doubling the fine when phone users are travelling with children.

The increased number of traffic deaths means the Netherlands has fallen from third to ninth place in the European Transport Safety Council top 10 of European countries with the best road safety records.