Do you want to see the countdown of the countries with the worst drivers in the world, to know which country’s roads may be best avoided? Every place has its own rules: you can use a car with manual or automatic transmission; you can drive on the left or right side of the road. Some cities have more strict transit laws. You can cross the street knowing that the vehicles will stop and let you walk, or you can fear for your life even if the red light is on.
We want you to know which are the countries with the worst drivers in the world so that if you’re planning on going there…you can bring your bike with you and stay on the sidewalks! One of the reasons people from the countryside don’t like living in a big city is because of the eclectic lifestyle. Most people are not used to the stressful life of the city, which most certainly includes the crowded streets. Getting stuck in a traffic jam could ruin your whole day, and drivers from those areas tend to be quite rude. As a consequence, highways can be a disaster, and car accidents are frequent.
However, this doesn’t mean that nothing happens in a small town or in a peaceful place like an island. You’ll be surprised when you look at our countdown, as all of those countries have their reasons for being in the list. And probably you’ve never even heard of some of these places…
Now, why do we say that these are countries with the worst drivers in the world? The numbers are very scary: about 1,300,000 people are dying in road accidents annually, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Road Traffic and Accident Database (Irtad). So we researched for the places that ranked at the top with more car crash fatalities than any other (out of 100,000 people). Could this be related to the 20 Most Depressed and Suicidal Countries in the World? You can go ahead and compare both lists to see if the fact that people are not that satisfied with their life would make them be more distracted and have more car accidents…
Let’s hope we can turn things around in the next few years, but in the meantime, here you have our countdown for countries with the worst drivers in the world. Which one do you think is going to be at the top?
6. Venezuela: 37
Being number one in Latin America as far as car accident fatalities, landed Venezuela sixth on our list. Although it’s also known for its high crime rates, the amount of car accident fatalities can’t be left unnoticed. The reasons are plenty: speed, alcohol, old vehicles, lack of control, poor education, and roads in awful condition. Also, the majority of the drivers are under 40 years old, which means that the younger generations are not learning from the older people’s mistakes.
The mean streets get a little meaner on the next page, as we continued the countdown of the countries with the worst drivers in the world.
5. Iran: 38
The numbers here are more than frightening, especially because among all unintentional fatal injuries inflicted on children under five years old, traffic-related fatalities are the leading cause of death. Apparently, lots of drivers have children who they don’t know how to take care of. Depressing, isn’t it?
4. Dominican Republic: 42
When we mentioned that there are cities where traffic rules are not exactly followed, we were referring to places like this one. A red light here is not the same as in other countries, so let’s not even mention what a yellow light might mean. Our recommendation would be that you either walk with your eyes wide open, or that you simply stay home.
3. Thailand: 44
Even though this is a place surrounded by water, it’s also a mountainous area. Therefore, driving here is not the easiest thing, especially when its drivers rarely pay much attention to safety standards…
2. Namibia: 45
In this case, Namibia has excellent road infrastructure, so that can’t be the reason. According to some studies, road accidents in this country are caused mainly because of “bad driver attitude”. I guess, despite the numbers, this should be the countries with the worst drivers in the world after all…
1. Niue: 68
You would think that a country with 260 sq. km and 1,200 people in it wouldn’t be the one with the most car accidents in the world… well, it is. Here’s number one on our list. Their population rate went down by 200 people in four years, so they’re definitely not getting any bigger, and their driving may be to blame!
