The number of people dying on the Dutch roads soared almost 11% last year, with a total of 678 people killed in road, bike or other accidents, the national statistics agency CBS said on Thursday. In total, 233 motorists and 228 cyclists died on the Dutch roads while the number of people killed while using mobility scooters rose from 25 in 2017 to 44 last year. Most notable is the sharp rise in traffic deaths in the province of Noord-Brabant – where 150 people were killed last year, a rise of 50% on 2017 A spokesman for the road safety institute SWOV told broadcaster NOS that the figures for Noord-Brabant had been low in previous years. ‘A small rise was to be expected, but not such a leap as this,’ he said. The number of traffic-related deaths had been fairly stable since 2014 after years of decline, since reaching a peak of over 1,000 at the turn of the century. Older people The figures also show that most people to die in traffic accidents are over the age of 50 and that older cyclists, particularly electric bike users, are vulnerable. Last year the government outlined plans to reduce the number of traffic deaths to zero by 2050. ‘We knew it was an unrealistic target but it should be the aim,’ transport minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen told broadcaster NOS, in response to the new CBS figures. She thinks the rise in fatalities may be connected to the fact that the population is getting older. ‘If an older person has an accident, it is more likely to be serious,’ she said. The minister said she is now analysing the findings to be able to take ‘the most effective measures.’  More >

An analysis of the backgrounds of 319 Dutch jihadis shows that many of them had major problems before making the decision to leave, debunking the idea that all come from ‘normal’ backgrounds, the Volkskrant said on Thursday. The analysis, carried out by police researcher Anton Weenink, found that 28% had psychological problems, ranging from schizophrenia to depression, compared with 8% of the general population. This finding means that the ‘discussion about whether someone who carries out an attack is driven by ideology or has mental issues’ has become more irrelevant, Weenink told the paper. That question is central in the case of Gökmen Tanis, who shot dead four people on a tram in Utrecht last month, and who is said to have both a terrorist motive and psychological problems. ‘It is not a black and white question. People who carry out attacks can be mentally confused, have some form of personality disorder or be driven by ideology,’ Weenink said. The research shows that most of the Dutch jihadis have Moroccan roots, come from broken homes and that two-thirds of them have criminal convictions, mainly for mugging, vandalism and burglary. Some 40% have been involved in violence and a large majority were unemployed before they left for Syria. One in 10 has been homeless at some point. The research, the paper says, undermines the theory used by terrorism experts that jihadis often have a ‘normal’ background and in some cases are more successful than the average member of society. This image, the paper says, was fueled by the middle-class hardened idealists behind the 9/11 attacks in the US. Education But this, says Weenink does not apply to the ill-educated jihadis who are taking revenge on their old, failed lives. ‘Their journey to Syria is the latest problematic phase in a life that has always been problematic,’ he said. ‘They were not even successful as criminals, because they were not involved in organised crime. They are people whose lives had come to a stop and who had nothing to lose.’ Determining what drove young men and women to move to Syria is crucial when considering whether or not they should be allowed back, Weenink said. ‘Most of them will have to go to jail and that will give time to find out what their state of mind is… my research shows it is important to take a broad approach to this problem, not just from the criminal justice system.’ Returnees The Netherlands is still struggling to decide what to do about Dutch jihadis and their children, following pressure to bring them home. Dutch jihadis can currently only return to the Netherlands if they manage to get to a Dutch embassy or consulate under their own steam. However, in February, justice minister Ferd Grapperhaus said the Netherlands is ‘looking into’ the option of trying to move Dutch women and children living in refugee camps in Syria to safe areas where they can return to the Netherlands.  More >

Dutch expats on Thursday formally launched a new organisation to fight for their rights and campaign for changes to dual nationality and voting laws. The Stichting Nederlanders Buiten Nederland (SNBN) aims to tackle issues such as remote voting, the 'exorbitant' cost of renewing a passport abroad, the loss of Dutch citizenship and issues with pensions,' founder and chairman Eelco Keij told DutchNews.nl. 'We need an organisation like this because governments change their policies too quickly and too easily when it comes to the Dutch abroad,' Keij said. 'We need to be more visible from abroad - we can't fill the Malieveld like young environment protesters do, because we are simply not in the Netherlands.' Around one million Dutch nationals - emigrants, expats and students - live outside the Netherlands. Similar interest organisations are very common in other Western European countries - with the one in Switzerland dating back over a 100 years, Keij points out. 'This indicates that we are not alone in facing hurdles abroad,' he said.  More >