The introduction of a maximum speed of 130 kph on many Dutch motorways has not led to an increase in accidents, police said in Thursday’s Telegraaf.

The Parool reported in April that the number of deaths on roads where the speed limit has been boosted to 130 kph has tripled since 2014. The paper says last year 32 people died on roads where the speed limit was 130 kph but in 2014 there were just 10 deaths on the same roads.

However the police say it is only logical there are more accidents on 130 kph roads because there are more of them. In addition, it is unclear from the transport ministry figures how many accidents were actually due to speed, the Telegraaf quotes the police as saying.

The speed limit has been raised to 130 kph on parts of 61% of the country’s motorway network but infrastructure minister Melanie Schultz wants to increase this to 77%.

Despite claims that the increased speed limit is to blame for the additional deaths, Schultz points out that more people have also died on roads with a 100 kph and 80 kph speed limit. ‘We are continuing to work with provinces and civil organisations to reduce the number of road deaths,’ she said in April.