At present, the minimum age for the A1 licence category (for motorcycles with a cylinder capacity of up to 125 cc) is 18 years in the Netherlands. The European directive on driving licences allows a minimum age of 16 years for this category.
A reduction of the minimum age is expected to lead to an increase in the number of casualties. This is supported by the experiences in Germany, where the minimum age for light engines was lowered in the 1990s. The group of 16- and 17-year-olds (who rode a motorcycle up to 125 cc) turned out to have by far the highest risk: more than 150 motorcyclist road deaths per 100,000 motorcycles, compared with about 75 deaths per 100,000 motorcycles in the age groups 18-21 and 21-25 year-olds (regardless of the cylinder capacity) [15]. For more information see the archived SWOV Fact sheet Category A1 (to 125 cc) of the new motorcycle driving licence.
