The world's safest and most dangerous countries to drive in
13 September 2016
Fasten your seatbelt
An issue that costs the world billions, and claims millions of lives every year. We look at how your country or your next holiday destination fares when it comes to driving safety. Take a look at where to find the world’s safest and most dangerous roads based on World Health Organization statistics for the amount of road deaths per 100,000 people.
15) Dominican Republic 29.3
Though speed limits do exist in this Caribbean nation, they’re rarely followed or enforced. The office of US Passports and International Travel describes the nation’s drivers as being “aggressive and erratic, often failing to yield the right-of-way even when road signs or signals indicate that they should.”
14) The Gambia 29.4
The state of the roads in this African nation are far from ideal and a large number of accidents that occur involve drunk driving and ignoring basic traffic laws.
13) Burkina Faso 30
Burkina Faso’s roads are narrow and in poor condition. Local drivers also have a reputation for turning into oncoming traffic and driving carelessly.
11) São Tomé and Principe 31.1
Although the major roads of this African island are paved, they’re riddled with potholes and careless pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, as well as animals, all posing risks to driving safety.
11) Togo 31.1
Many roads in Togo aren’t paved, which causes major flood issues when rainfall is heavy. Additionally, road laws are barely enforced and a large number of cars are driven recklessly.
10) Mozambique 31.6
The US Overseas Security Advisory Council describes Mozambique’s drivers in less than flattering terms, saying they are “impatient and exhibit little consideration for pedestrians, other motorists’ right-of-way, and general safe driving practices.” This along with poorly lit roads in disrepair cause driving in the nation to be labelled as extremely dangerous.
8) Rwanda 32.1
The erratic driving habits of many Rwandan drivers and a general disregard for traffic laws make driving in this country exceptionally dangerous.
8) Iran 32.1
Traffic-related deaths in Iran are quite evenly distributed among drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. Shockingly, there are no child restraint laws in the country despite the World Bank labelling its road conditions as being at crisis levels.
7) Central African Republic 32.4
Drivers face a high risk of falling victim to armed robberies while on the roads of the Central African Republic. Additionally, the poor quality of roads poses a huge risk to safety although many of them are completely inaccessible during instances of extreme weather and the rainy season.
6) Tanzania 32.9
A combination of a lack of proper driving instruction and improperly coordinated road improvement work accounts for a large portion of the dangers faced by drivers. Among these are widely ignored speed limits and failure to properly inspect the safety of vehicles.
5) Democratic Republic of the Congo 33.2
Many roads in the DRC are simple dirt roads that are susceptible to destruction from weather conditions and other factors. This means that an abundance of large potholes is an issue, as well as large pits of mud where many vehicles get stuck. There are also the far more serious threats of carjackings and murder in a very unstable country.
4) Liberia 33.7
Terrible road conditions and the amount of armed criminals that won’t hesitate to use their weapons means that driving in Liberia is seriously unsafe. While travelling on main roads during the day should lower the risk of a serious situation, venturing off-road, especially during the night, is highly risky.
3) Malawi 35
The Canadian government highlights “poor road conditions, poorly maintained vehicles, and inadequate street lighting” as the dangerous obstacles drivers will face when hitting the roads in Malawi. As if this isn’t enough to contend with, violent carjackings, potholes, animals, abandoned cars and cars without headlights are all other dangerous factors drivers will experience.
2) Thailand 36.2
High speeds, drunk driving and lightly-enforced road laws are behind the shocking number of traffic-related fatalities in Thailand. Chiang Mai CityNews reports that alcohol is a factor in up to 80% of accidents and 25% of deaths on the roads.
1) Libya 73.4
Driving fatalities rank third on the list of causes of death in Libya largely thanks to the absence of enforcement of traffic laws and the prominence of drunk driving. However, that’s not all, as if you’re driving in Libya you need to be weary of sandstorms which make it virtually impossible to see the roads. Next are the safest places in the world to hit the road.
15) Ireland 4.1
Though main roads are in good condition, less travelled roads are quite narrow and twisting. Despite this, driving in Ireland is very safe thanks to robust road laws and a high percentage of drivers and their passengers wearing seatbelts.
14) Norway 3.8
Driving in Norway is considerably low-risk due to the country’s excellent road network and strong driving laws.
13) Spain 3.7
Reasonable speed limits and a high percentage of drivers and passengers wearing seatbelts make Spain’s roads some of the safest in the world.
11) Singapore 3.6
Singapore boasts good roads and strong traffic laws which are implemented strictly, tying it for the 11th spot on this list.
11) Israel 3.6
It may come as a surprise that driving in Israel is reasonably safe, given the frequent terrorist activity, but this is due to the high levels of enforcement of its road laws.
9) Maldives 3.5
Most travel in the Maldives is done by boat, seaplane, or by foot. However, if you do choose to travel by car on one of the Indian Ocean islands that is big enough to have roads for vehicles, rest assured that the country implements “good safety standards” according to the office of US Passports and International Travel.
9) Denmark 3.5
Danish roads are among the world’s safest thanks to strict management of road laws. Seatbelts must be worn by all drivers and their passengers and children that are under 135cm are required to be fastened into an approved car seat.
8) Netherlands 3.4
The speed limits in the Netherlands can be changed by authorities based on traffic conditions to ensure roads are as safe as possible. These limits are strictly enforced through the use of radar and speed cameras.
7) Switzerland 3.3
Its mountainous geography should make driving in Switzerland a driver’s worst nightmare, but despite their twisting roads, the Swiss enjoy quite safe driving conditions. Vehicles are instructed to have snow chains on their tires during the snowy season and special stickers called vignettes in order to travel on select roads.
6) San Marino 3.2
There’s no driving penalty point system in San Marino for errant drivers, but that doesn’t seem to matter as the nation’s roads are among the world's safest.
4) United Kingdom 2.9
The office of US Passports and International Travel describes the UK’s roads as being “generally excellent” despite being “narrow and often congested in urban areas.” The nation also strictly implements its traffic regulations, making roads very safe to drive on.
4) Kiribati 2.9
Although drunk driving is acknowledged as a problem among this Pacific nation’s drivers and roads are both dimly lit and in disrepair, Kiribati still remains on the list of the world’s safest places to drive.
3) Sweden 2.8
Strict regulations on the use of snow tires, headlights and a low tolerance for drunk driving makes Swedish roads amongst the world’s safest.
2) Federated States of Micronesia 1.9
The majority of roads in Micronesia are considered to be very poor which is probably why the speed limits are so low. However, these low speed limits appear to greatly reduce the number of road accidents.
1) Monaco 0
Despite not having national laws regulating seatbelt wearing, child restraint, mobile phone use or driving while under the influence of drugs, Monaco tops the list as the safest country to drive in, possibly due to its tiny population.
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