Question of the Day: Which Country Has the Best Drivers?
It's only natural to ask for the country with the best drivers after looking for the country with the worst drivers. For those of you have have been fortunate enough to see the world, which country has the drivers who impress you most? Let us know in comments.
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Comments
tony2x
Germany. Lane discipline of the gods is exhibited here, of course if you are doing < 150 mph in the "fast" lane you will get a Porsche 911 up your butt in double quick time.
Dustin B.
Gonna have to go with Japan. I lived there for 3 years. The process (i.e. long schooling, expense) they have to go through just to be able to drive makes most drivers with a license there, very very good. I know first hand. They are all very courteous, predictable, and skilled and most taking driving very seriously. The overwhelming majority of them LOVE their cars and appreciate driving and taking care of their cars very much as well. If there's one thing I learned there, it is they are a Master of their craft, no matter what that craft is...and they don't take nearly as much for granted as we do in the U.S. We could learn a lesson from them in those ways.
Cicero
I would have to say Germany. Even though I live in the USA, I hate other American drivers, they have no discpline and they are rude and just do stupid things.
dante
Italy. Even the women can heel and toe downshift before pulling a handbrake turn around pedestrian apexes on wet cobblestone 180's while putting on their makeup.
chuck goolsbee
Without a doubt Germany. They make getting and keeping a license to drive very hard, as it should be. Lane discipline that I could only dream of here in the US.
The Brits are not too bad, though they tend to treat pedestrians and bicyclists with disdain, so I have to ding them on that. They also show excellent lane discipline on their motorways... at least until you get near London, where it all goes to hell.
While not a country, I have to give props to the citizens of Montana, who can claim to be the German Drivers of the USA. The staff of the Montana Highway Patrol are all awesome and friendly too! :)
--chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
Paul In Jersey
No need to guess. According to this report, we should all wish we're driving in Denmark.
Son of a Beach
Having lived in Germany for fourteen years, I would have to say that they indeed know how to drive properly. But is's no wonder, like Japan, Germans have to spend a LOT of money to go through driver training before they are even allowed to get a license. We as a nation would do well to take a lesson from that, but Americans still think driving is a right, not a privilege.
X3 SoB
Interesting, according to the ITRAD report Paul In Jersey posted, the only nation worse than USA is Greece. We really have a lot of dipshyts on the road.
seeker
Oh Canada, except for those who;
drive in the left lane and don't move over when approached by faster moving vehicles...
creep forward for no reason at all at a stop light, as if the pressure needed to apply the brake is too much...
change lanes blindly and hope for the best...
seem to be sleeping during the beginning of an advance green...
don't notice the pavement sensor and stop too far away from it - the traffic light doesn't even know we're there...
mbslrm
Without a doubt, Germany. After that, Britain and Japan.
Jeff
I haven't been to Germany, but I do know that the Autobahn would instill a deep sense of staying in your lane unless you're about to pass. However, the best country I have seen driving in is Italy. It's really frantic and crazy if you're just getting used to it, the style is very different from American driving. The drivers seem to flow in Italy, it's not filled with asshats who are territorial about their lanes like there are here. You need to get into a lane, just keep moving fast, signal, and space will open. Unlike here, where it's a battle to change lanes if there's any traffic present. Yeesh, we are bad at driving here.
a_meehan
As I said in the worst driver comments:
Germans have to be the best on attention and skill. They know their car's limits, the laws, and what's going on around them. And, of course, they're a careful people.
Although I'll bet a 10 year-old girl in Italy has a better understanding of vehicle dynamics than 95% of American drivers. The propensity for pretending that their FIAT is a Ferrari makes me drop Italians down the list though.
Skilled? Hell yes. Best? Don't think so. Some of those third-world drivers can do amazing things with cars and roads that would wreck even the world’s finest drivers.
Brad
I live and drive in Germany and I fear having to go back to the states and having to drive there again. Japan sounds nice though.
hwyhobo
How many countries have you people driven in? Some of the whining about US tells me that not in very many. Anytime I read something like, "the only nation worse than USA is Greece", I know that the person posting it is either a teenager, or has never been anywhere. I've driven in at least 20 different countries, and I sometimes sigh with relief coming back to the US. Still, all in all, I enjoy driving everywhere. The only thing I would change in the US is state clearly in the driving rules that when in the left lane you must yield to faster vehicles. Other than that, if you fear driving here, you're too damn weak to survive.
Oh, and I like driving in Austria. What good are the "unlimited" speeds on autobahns in Germany if they are congested to the hilt? Or if the no-limit areas are spliced with 80kmh zones, like around Munich. You can drive faster in Austria despite the 130kmh limit, and you still get the left-lane respect.
Leo H
Greenland. Not many cars and nearly nothing happens on their roads. Speed is not an option, you can do what you like but slow.
3333
german and japan
FPF422
second Germany
Peter
Germany. I lived there for 3 years. Have driven in more countries than I can count, and they stand out great discipline and skills at speeds North Americans can only dream about.
Had 2 drivers within 2 freeway entrances merge from the entrance over the right lane and right into the left lane were I was riding at or near the speed limit, yesterday. Bright sunny day , little traffic. The pickup driver responded to my horn and swerved back into his lane. The Black Mercedes just kept on coming. The female driver mouthed I'm sorry when I pulled up beside her and looked down to her from my tall DL650
Bald-win
Dustin B. and 3333, what are you guys smokin'? I have been living in Japan for nearly 30 years, and by no means can anybody claim that the Japanese drivers are experts, courtious or even cautious. A large percentage of Japanese drivers get their licenses just for the sake of having one (at a cost of $2,000 to $4,000), and become Sunday drivers. The rest is often a matter of size and finance: If a big truck is coming at you, get out of the way (you're going to be the first fatality), if an expensive car is coming at you, get out of the way (he can afford to pull strings in order to make it your fault). There are many laws governing the rules of the road in Japan, but few are enforced. I've driven kei cars (360, 550, 660cc micro cars), foreign cars ranging from VWs to Rolls Royces, domestic "regular" passenger cars and vans as well as trucks with up to 8 tons of maximum capacity - they all have different rules, but I don't consider any of these rules to be safe, civilized or considerate.
Also, the rules change depending on where in Japan you are driving.
X3 SoB
@hwyhobo
I was just responding to what I had read in that ITRAD report that Paul In Jersey had posted. Click on it and see for yourself. By the way, I've experienced roads either as driver or a passenger in most of Europe, the western MiddleEast, India, Micronesia, Canada, USA, and Mexico. And, at 50 years old, I'm probably older than you.
PW
I'm sitting in Changzhou, China right now. The fact that a million people don't die on these roads each day is a freakin' miracle. In fact, I have not seen any accidents. The closest have involved me when I try to cross a street and an electric scooter comes out of nowhere.
So, for apparently having six eyeballs in their heads, maybe the Chinese are high up on the list? How the F they see these other cars is amazing. Not a single stop or yield sign. WTF?
hwyhobo
I was just responding to what I had read in that ITRAD report that Paul In Jersey had posted.
Post a URL, and I will know what you're talking about. BTW, US driving does not end in NJ.
at 50 years old, I’m probably older than you.
Nope, but I will take back my "teenager" crack.
X3 SoB
Well, it's always nice to meet another old geezer with an enthusiasm for things automotive, it just shows we're not all cruising along in the left lane at 50 mph with our blinker on. US driving STARTS in WV!
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