Driving abroad can be enjoyable or painful – from an idyllic slow drive through the countryside to a heart-pounding slog through a maze of city streets.
But some countries make motorists more nervous than others.
A survey released in October showed that Indian drivers’ top concern is driving. India scored 7.15 out of 10, the highest average score among the 49 countries surveyed.
A score of “1” means not nervous at all, while a score of “10” means “very nervous” Take the surveysurveyed 2,000 drivers from 10 countries (UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, France, Italy and Spain).
India is known for “unpredictable traffic conditions, with everything from cars and motorcycles to rickshaws and even livestock sharing the roads”, according to a survey commissioned by Prolific, a British car company Scrap Car Comparison.
The metropolitan areas of three Indian cities – Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune – feature in the top 10 cities in India. TomTom traffic index In 2023, the report analyzed congestion levels and peak hour speeds in cities around the world.
The survey was not based on statistics such as road safety or fatalities, but on non-local perceptions of driving performance.
The top ten countries include countries in Asia, Africa and South America. Notably, no respondents were from Asia or South America.
Mexico, ranked 11th, is the highest-ranked North American country on the list. The United States ranks 33rd, followed by Canada at 41st.
Türkiye leads the list of European countries in 12th place, followed by Hungary, which shares 14th place with Chile.
Vietnam ranks 13th. Like many Asian countries, Vietnam has far more motorcycles than cars, which makes driving a full-size vehicle difficult.
Listing separately the 10 countries where respondents participated in the survey, South Africa ranked highest at 21st, followed by Italy at 24th.
Drivers said the Netherlands had the most comfortable driving experience, with a score of 4.41, followed by Switzerland, Austria and Australia.
What is the driver afraid of?
Motorists say the most frightening factor about driving abroad is driving on the wrong side of the road.
Most of the world drives on the right, but in the UK and many former colonies of the British Empire, including India, Australia, South Africa and Singapore, left-hand traffic predominates.
Erratic driving behavior and unknowing breaches of road laws were also significant factors in the problem, cited by more than half of respondents.
Nearly a third of drivers also said they feared getting into an accident and were unable to communicate in the local language.
