Thinking of taking a driving holiday abroad? Before deciding on your destination, you may want to look into both the safest and most dangerous countries to drive in to ensure you are in for a pleasurable escape rather than a white-knuckled ride where you may not come home in one piece.
So which countries should you avoid at all costs for your leisurely road trip? The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) has complied a list of the most dangerous countries to drive in based on the amount of deaths per one million inhabitants and deaths per annum for every one million registered vehicles.
Russia takes the cake for the most dangerous country to drive in with 235 deaths per year for every million inhabitants and a horrifying 939 deaths per year for every million vehicles. 90% of accidents in Russia are blamed on a combination of bad driving, hazardous road conditions and a lack of policing possibly due to the Russian transport police’s low budget and old vehicles. So it’s not all due to Russia’s famed vodka, with drunk driving accounting for the other 10% of accidents.
Slovakia comes in second with 122 deaths per year for every million inhabitants and 426 deaths per year for every million vehicles. Nearby, Poland is not far behind in third place with 147 deaths and 310 deaths respectively.
Just missing out on a podium position, Turkey and Hungary top off the five worst countries to drive in list. Turkey is victim to 68 deaths per year for every million inhabitants and a whopping 594 deaths per year for every million vehicles. Hungary has a similar story with 123 deaths per year for every million inhabitants and 347 deaths per year for every million vehicles.
Other countries that didn’t fair well in the road safety stakes include Korea, USA, Greece, Czech Republic and Belgium. Taking all this into account, if you were planning to drive from Moscow to Saint Petersburg or from Warsaw to Krakow, I’d recommend taking the bus.
So you now know the countries to avoid, which are deemed to have the safest roads and can give you the best chance of an accident-free road trip? According to the international Traffic and Safety Data and Analysis Group, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands are the kings of Europe when it comes to safe roads.
Britons can stand proud (and rest assured) as the UK consistently rates well with one of the lowest road death tolls in the world. On the opposite scale to Russia, the UK has well-maintained roads and heavy policing and speed management plus rigorous driving tests for fist time drivers going for their license.
What if you still want to take a drive these holidays but the sunny Costas of Spain are more alluring to you than the Nordics or the Netherlands? Briton’s favorite driving holiday hotspots vary in the road safety stakes.
Spain has made considerable efforts in the past ten years to pick up their game, achieving a European Commission set goal to reduce deaths from road accidents by 50%. Currently, Spain accrues 57 deaths per one million inhabitants, which is 11 below the European average. It still has a way to go before being deemed a relatively safe country to drive in. Perhaps opt for the higher car insurance just to be on the safe side.
Cruising through the back roads of Provence or meandering through the Loire Valley is a wise choice with France coming in at the ninth safest country in Europe to drive in.
About the author
Jennifer Adams is a part of the digital blogging team that write about subjects like lifestyle and finance such as car insurance, on behalf of a growing number of insurance companies, to keep up to date with the latest in industry news.
By Olivia GrilHey Folks! I'm Olivia from California, United States. I'm a blogger, travel lover, I can travel anywhere, whether it's a new place or already visited. I love meeting new people, clicking photos of every movement, and documenting my adventure. I also, write about travel, travel movies, the best places to visit, etc. Read my stories.
