Which country has the world’s worst drivers?
Discussion
After some recent experiences driving amongst what I can only call maniacs, I started wondering why some countries seem to have worse driving habits than others. One of life’s big questions is “which country has the world’s worst drivers?”
For years I thought Nigeria (then and again what they call roads are barely dirt tracks so it’s a little unreasonable to compare), then I thought “India”, “China”, but after recent events it has to be - Turkey.
Yes, talk about living up to a name!
Now I love driving - and the faster the better – but I draw the line at stupidity, maniacs, ignorance, and assorted beings who resemble and act like anuses acting like total anuses and having zero consideration for others on the roads.
To give you some idea of the sort of shenanigans that go on – and these are all regular happenings and all true events from first-hand experience – you can judge for yourselves if Turkey is indeed the Turkey. Even more interestingly can anyone top this list?
Driving in the middle of the road, occupying the centre lane, making it generally impossible to overtake unless you use the footpath / hard shoulder, etc.
Changing lanes constantly without indicators and when there is almost zero space between you and the car in front
Swerving across 3 LANES of (busy) motorway to exit, all performed within 50 metres of the exit slip road, without indicators almost causing multiple car accidents (I was almost wiped out in this way when going to the airport in a taxi one morning)
Repeatedly swerving amongst busy motorway and highway traffic, changing lanes repeatedly and usually done when there is barely 1.5 car lengths between vehicles, and all executed at high speed (I’m talking about 150 km/h+), all with no indicators
Do not understand what indicators are for - they think indicators are for decorative purposes.
Texting on their mobile phones (yes – you read it right, texting, not talking - women are especially addicted to this practice), causing them to wander across lanes and almost running other cars off the road as they swerve across the road from side to side
Stopping in the middle of intersections blocking all traffic - and you get abused when you ask them to move / blast your horn at them
Stopping their cars in the middle of the road to let off or pick up passengers – and I don’t mean for 5 seconds, I mean anything up to 30 seconds or longer on busy main roads
Refusing to even acknowledge Stop signs, driving straight through them, almost crashing into cars coming the other way - and blasting their horns at any car that does stop at the Stop sign, even when there is oncoming traffic
And they love double parking on busy roads (yes, you better believe it).No-one can get past, creating traffic jams
And the icing on the cake – the police do absolutely nothing. I have seen them just stand there and watch as all these daily events unfold literally in front of them. A joke.
For those of you who have never witnessed this you should see it, I guarantee you’d be shocked at how "normal" all of these things are and the attitude of the guilty parties.
Who can add to this list or top it?
I would like to learn of other misadventures and suggestions of what you'd do to when confronted by these
For years I thought Nigeria (then and again what they call roads are barely dirt tracks so it’s a little unreasonable to compare), then I thought “India”, “China”, but after recent events it has to be - Turkey.
Yes, talk about living up to a name!
Now I love driving - and the faster the better – but I draw the line at stupidity, maniacs, ignorance, and assorted beings who resemble and act like anuses acting like total anuses and having zero consideration for others on the roads.
To give you some idea of the sort of shenanigans that go on – and these are all regular happenings and all true events from first-hand experience – you can judge for yourselves if Turkey is indeed the Turkey. Even more interestingly can anyone top this list?
Driving in the middle of the road, occupying the centre lane, making it generally impossible to overtake unless you use the footpath / hard shoulder, etc.
Changing lanes constantly without indicators and when there is almost zero space between you and the car in front
Swerving across 3 LANES of (busy) motorway to exit, all performed within 50 metres of the exit slip road, without indicators almost causing multiple car accidents (I was almost wiped out in this way when going to the airport in a taxi one morning)
Repeatedly swerving amongst busy motorway and highway traffic, changing lanes repeatedly and usually done when there is barely 1.5 car lengths between vehicles, and all executed at high speed (I’m talking about 150 km/h+), all with no indicators
Do not understand what indicators are for - they think indicators are for decorative purposes.
Texting on their mobile phones (yes – you read it right, texting, not talking - women are especially addicted to this practice), causing them to wander across lanes and almost running other cars off the road as they swerve across the road from side to side
Stopping in the middle of intersections blocking all traffic - and you get abused when you ask them to move / blast your horn at them
Stopping their cars in the middle of the road to let off or pick up passengers – and I don’t mean for 5 seconds, I mean anything up to 30 seconds or longer on busy main roads
Refusing to even acknowledge Stop signs, driving straight through them, almost crashing into cars coming the other way - and blasting their horns at any car that does stop at the Stop sign, even when there is oncoming traffic
And they love double parking on busy roads (yes, you better believe it).No-one can get past, creating traffic jams
And the icing on the cake – the police do absolutely nothing. I have seen them just stand there and watch as all these daily events unfold literally in front of them. A joke.
For those of you who have never witnessed this you should see it, I guarantee you’d be shocked at how "normal" all of these things are and the attitude of the guilty parties.
Who can add to this list or top it?
I would like to learn of other misadventures and suggestions of what you'd do to when confronted by these
CampDavid said:
Belgium
You always know when you've come out of France into Belgium as everyone starts trying to crash into you
Yup. The waffle chewing, moulle munching, battle hosters are bafflingly shocking. I've never quite got my head around the immediate contrast between them and the French, Dutch and Germans. Badly maintained roads and lethal drivers. You always know when you've come out of France into Belgium as everyone starts trying to crash into you
Mind you, if the area around Heathrow were a country it would surpass any other when it comes to vegetables driving.
DonkeyApple said:
Yup. The waffle chewing, moulle munching, battle hosters are bafflingly shocking. I've never quite got my head around the immediate contrast between them and the French, Dutch and Germans. Badly maintained roads and lethal drivers.
Mind you, if the area around Heathrow were a country it would surpass any other when it comes to vegetables driving.
The road around Heathrow contains people of all mentioned nationalities driving their rellies to the airport, which may go some way to explaining the terrifying conditionsMind you, if the area around Heathrow were a country it would surpass any other when it comes to vegetables driving.
Driving in Naples was pretty "entertaining". The only place I've had someone try to break into the boot whilst I'm parked at traffic lights. Everyone else, whether lorry, van, car or scooter driver was an absolute nutter. Worse than Turkey, Greece, Thailand and Peckham. In my experience.
I've been on a few travels and encountered some different driving styles. Bosnian drivers have no concept of safety and will overtake absolutely anywhere, Iraqi's are ignorant and will never give way (even to armour, with disastrous consequences),
Falkland Islanders are very often drunk when driving, Afghani's are usually on Honda cub 90's complete with RPG, but by far the worse I've ever seen are the Kenyans. They will turn any road into a huge traffic jam because of their sheer ignorance. They refuse to queue in any circumstance and will degenerate a road into a mass of vehicles in their eagerness to get through. After being there for a few months I swore I would never moan about British drivers again. (I do of course)
Falkland Islanders are very often drunk when driving, Afghani's are usually on Honda cub 90's complete with RPG, but by far the worse I've ever seen are the Kenyans. They will turn any road into a huge traffic jam because of their sheer ignorance. They refuse to queue in any circumstance and will degenerate a road into a mass of vehicles in their eagerness to get through. After being there for a few months I swore I would never moan about British drivers again. (I do of course)
I spent 18 months in Mumbai, and despite the 6 cars abreast on a 2 land road, no-one seemed to crash. The drivers in Bulgaria are a bit nuts. Overtaking on blind bends is perfectly normal. Nigeria was pretty bad, but Saudi had bus drivers who seemed to earn more the less time it took, so they'd just go full pelt over speed bumps, and careen round corners.
Actually Poland deserves a mention not so much for their driving but their parking. I've never seen so many cars rammed up on very high curbs to park over pavements. They just drive up them rather than stopping and then creeping up the curb so as not to cause damage. Sopot and Krakow must have lots of high grade strong materials for their suspention parts.
toon10 said:
Actually Poland deserves a mention not so much for their driving but their parking. I've never seen so many cars rammed up on very high curbs to park over pavements. They just drive up them rather than stopping and then creeping up the curb so as not to cause damage. Sopot and Krakow must have lots of high grade strong materials for their suspention parts.
Ah, I've beennto Sopot when we were getting some work done in Gdansk. Nice little place, with the weird freaky messed up house thing.I will, as I do every time this sort of thing is mentioned, vote for my near neighbours in Belgium.
Highest KSI rates in developed Europe by a fair margin (I'd wager if their cars were maintained/same age as those in the newer member states then their KSI figures would be highest there as well. IYSWIM)
I have driven in the traditionally thought of terrible places.
Thailand, South Africa, South America, Ilford etc and I still exit Belgiumm and offer up a prayer.
The OP's post could be written about the Wallonnies
And as for the suburbs of Bruxelles...
Highest KSI rates in developed Europe by a fair margin (I'd wager if their cars were maintained/same age as those in the newer member states then their KSI figures would be highest there as well. IYSWIM)
I have driven in the traditionally thought of terrible places.
Thailand, South Africa, South America, Ilford etc and I still exit Belgiumm and offer up a prayer.
The OP's post could be written about the Wallonnies
And as for the suburbs of Bruxelles...
Likes Fast Cars said:
There's pattern starting to emerge here - Bulgaria, Bosnia, Eastern Europe, etc... all ex Ottoman Empire, I think the Sultan did something to the peasants' water supplies years ago 
The Ottoman's were massive fans of inbreeding. Segments of India and Africa are huge fans of this as well.
Belgians seem to enjoy a reputation for deviancy.
Maybe we can pin this down to bad driving being an indicator that you've slept with your sister?
ChiChoAndy said:
toon10 said:
Actually Poland deserves a mention not so much for their driving but their parking. I've never seen so many cars rammed up on very high curbs to park over pavements. They just drive up them rather than stopping and then creeping up the curb so as not to cause damage. Sopot and Krakow must have lots of high grade strong materials for their suspention parts.
Ah, I've beennto Sopot when we were getting some work done in Gdansk. Nice little place, with the weird freaky messed up house thing.bmw535i said:
Iraqi's are ignorant and will never give way (even to armour, with disastrous consequences),
Reminds me of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1N5rnBA-G4
ALthough this was to stay alive!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff