Eyes On The Road
People make fun of Americans for being bad drivers, but does the stereotype really hold up? You would think that living in such a car-centered world would mean that the people controlling those cars would know how to drive. Unfortunately, issues like a lack of driving education, distracted and intoxicated driving, and badly-maintained roads contribute to motor crashes and fatalities every year.
1. United States
We're not going to pull any punches here, the American reputation for poor driving exists for a reason. Despite regulations and regularly maintained major roads, road accidents claim over a million lives per year. This is largely due to texting and driving.
Ekaterina Belinskaya on Pexels
2. Romania
Bucharest isn't just the capital of Romania, it's also the traffic accident capital of the world. Unlike other countries on this list, Romanians generally know how to drive and have laws which one would think would reduce accidents. And yet Romanians simply don't care to obey those rules...until they cross the Hungarian border.
3. Iran
Like Romanians, Persians generally know how to drive, but let their arrogance get the best of them. As a result, drivers can be reckless, forgoing seatbelts, texting while driving, and using rules as suggestions. However, a recent study suggests that the problem may not lay entirely with the drivers, but the low-quality cars they drive.
4. Turkey
Turkey has pretty solid legislation around driving (you aren't allowed to get a license until 18, for example), but its citizens often let road rage get the best of them. Horns are used liberally, which can't help the general mood. One reason why Turks may not be the best drivers? They're angry at the government and are taking it out on the roads.
5. Mozambique
Drivers in Mozambique have a lot to be frustrated about: they have some of the worst congestion in the world. Cars can get stalled for hours on end, leading to more aggressive driving. It certainly can't help that many roads are unpaved and/or poorly maintained.
6. Liberia
Liberia does not prioritize drivers' education, with less than half the driving population being licensed. Poor education leads to careless driving practices such as exceeding speed limits and ignoring seatbelt laws. Liberia is also known for having few traffic lights, which leads to further accidents.
7. Thailand
Almost 3.5% of all deaths in Thailand are traffic-related. Thailand's roads are crowded with cars, buses, bike taxis, and tuktuks, creating a difficult balancing act for drivers looking to share the road. In addition to a lack of regulation, alcohol plays a significant role in Thailand's fatal statistics, especially around holidays.
8. India
Being one of the most populous countries in the world, India's roads are more than a little crowded. Roads are generally congested and unpredictable, with tons of different modes of transportation trying to squeeze into the lanes. Rather than waiting, many impatient drivers weave in between lanes to get ahead of traffic.
9. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is regularly named one of the scariest countries to drive in according to tourists, however it's scarier to walk in. Pedestrian safety is evidently not a priority in Zimbabwe, as many lives are lost in fatal collisions. Economic factors play a part as well: if drivers cannot afford to repair or upgrade unsafe vehicles, they will continue to put others at risk.
10. Latvia
Latvia is regularly ranked #1 in the EU's survey of reckless drivers, one of the rare instances where being first is not a good thing. Latvian drivers are extremely opportunistic, which leads to drivers getting up onto the sidewalk to cut through traffic. A common joke among Latvians is that there is no driving culture.
11. Brazil
A 2021 study ranked Brazil the 2nd worst country for driving. This is due to several factors such as a high population inflating statistics, poorly-maintained roads, and levels of congestion. Brazil has zero tolerance for drunk driving, but that doesn't stop drivers from doing it.
Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/ABr on Wikimedia
12. Philippines
Filipino drivers tend to be disorderly drivers, ignoring color coding schemes designed to reduce traffic and acting like they own the road. Aggressive driving is sadly seen as the norm, with many drivers taking a 'me or you' defensive approach just to avoid getting into accidents. Many fatal accidents are publicized only when social media gets a hold of them.
13. Malaysia
We don't want to blame Malaysia too much for their bad driving record. After all, frequent typhoons reduce visibility to the tip of your nose and can wipe drivers fully off the road. Despite having excellent infrastructure, Malaysia is one of the most stressful countries to drive in thanks to aggressive behavior.
14. Dominican Republic
The Dominican government has invested a ton in improving their infrastructure in the past decade. However, as we have seen, the best driving conditions in the world are no guarantee that drivers will treat them properly. While highways are often well-maintained, rural roads connecting towns and villages suffer from lack of upkeep.
15. Peru
Peru's roads, like its geography, vary widely in elevation. The higher up you go, the flatter the road is likely to be, without any sort of barrier preventing you from plunging over a cliff. Roads are narrow and crowded, and conditions are likely to get worse with the rise of a self-driving car start-up in Lima.
16. Serbia
According to their countrymen, Serbians drive like they're auditioning for the Fast & Furious franchise. By that we mean they regularly speed up to 25 miles over the speed limit, even the police, who enforce speeding with minimal fines. One Serbian commenter said bluntly "Serbian people generally don't know how to drive, they are just familiar with how to move the car."
17. Russia
Russian dashcam footage has taken on a life of its own, going from a warning sign against poor driving etiquette to an international meme. A popular joke, at least on Russian Reddit, is that Russian drivers would be great stunt drivers if they weren't hell-bent on self-destruction. We wonder if this stereotype is inflated due to the influx of dashcam meme videos.
18. Bolivia
Bolivia has some of the highest elevations in the Americas, so dangerous driving comes with an extra risk. Road safety is apparently not a priority in Bolivians for the government or citizens. Beat-up cars and unlicensed drivers make already perilous conditions even more dangerous.
19. South Africa
South Africa's poor driving record owes a lot to common problems such as speeding, impaired and distracted driving, and ignoring rules. The use of minibus taxis, whose drivers tend to be aggressive, may be contribute to higher fatalities, as there are more lives at stake.
20. Canada
Despite what Canadians want you to believe, they aren't much better drivers than their downstairs neighbors. Several common problems dog Canadian drivers such as congestion, distracted driving, and flaunting the rules. Another contributing factor is, despite living somewhere where most of the country is frozen half the year, many drivers do not take care when driving over icy highways.
