I’ve been thinking about something. After reading about Americans in Taiwan claiming to be better drivers, even to the police -while being stopped for breaking traffic laws-, I started wondering how different countries really compare in driving skills. So, I did a bit of digging on road safety stats, specifically deaths per 100,000 people. Here’s what I found:
In 2021, the US had a road death rate of about 12.9 per 100,000. For a country where some folks confidently tell police in other countries they’re the best (even when breaking rules), these numbers are a bit sobering.
Now, as an Aussie, I can’t help but feel a bit proud. Our rate was about 4.6 per 100,000. That’s less than half of the US rate. - This is thanks to superior driver training I presume.
I also looked up New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. New Zealand’s rate was around 7.8, Canada’s was 5.8, and the UK had an impressive 2.9. (If only their teeth were so impressive!)
Based on these stats, it seems like the UK, Australia, and Canada are leading the pack. The US drivers definitely have their work cut out for them!
This makes me wonder, if I got pulled over in the US, should I just wave my Australian license and tell them that I am a better driver? – (The same way some Americans do in Taiwan?)
But yes this is old news, and already pointed out by someone in this thread about a year ago.
The US and Taiwan are both pretty bad in terms of traffic-related deaths for developed countries, probably due to the lack of safe pedestrian infrastructure.
If Americans are bragging to others including police about how good they drive, let me apologize on behalf these fellow Americans.
One thing you have to keep in mind is that average driving speeds in the US are quite high, especially on highways (of course) and especially when compared to Asian countries. So if you get in a highway accident in the US, there’s a good chance it will be serious. Sometimes in Taiwan, I’m glad for all the traffic, traffic lights, etc. that keep the average speeds down. But of course, the fact that Germany ranks low in number of deaths per 100,000 persons illustrates how this is a complicated situation and involves many different factors.
Not sure how accurate this is for average highway speeds:
> United States: 75-80 mph (120-130 km/h)
Canada: 80-100 km/h (50-62 mph)
United Kingdom: 70 mph (112 km/h)
Germany: 80-130 km/h (50-81 mph)
France: 80-90 km/h (50-56 mph)
Italy: 90-110 km/h (56-68 mph)
Spain: 80-120 km/h (50-75 mph)
Japan: 80 km/h (50 mph)
Australia: 110-130 km/h (68-81 mph)
China: 80-120 km/h (50-75 mph)
Can explain the whole situation a thousand times to you and you’ll still go on and on pretending like I said that. Least I don’t drink and drive, unlike yourself.
Yeah so this is a jab at me but him and others seem unable to drop the fact that I did it only because I already got a ticket for left turning without the box despite neither being able to see the box nor the sign for it, and then after respectfully dealing with the shit officers bull and getting the ticket I threw this in as an appeal to “I know how to safely left turn because I’ve been doing so my whole life, give me a break please?”
My point was… even though I am 99.99% likely under the limit… and not even dizzy drunk (after going to a nice restaurant) I make sure to not break road rules like turning left where I shouldn’t (unlike the foreigners caught drink driving and being well over the limit.)
There is a difference in what I said with 100% honesty. - So no. To address your point… I don’t drink and drive and never have
I’m surprised Canada has low road deaths and HK even lower. I drove in Seattle for a while and drivers were pretty courteous. I drove up to Vancouver once, trying to follow the speed limit near Surrey and some driver tailgated me then flipped me off as they overtook me, driving about 30% over the speed limit.
I don’t know how accurate that chart is and I don’t want to really go back and forth about speed limits where I haven’t lived in quite a number of years. All I know is that it’s common knowledge that police don’t do anything unless you’re way over. So going 80 mph in California and Nevada is not at all uncommon. Things go fast and the police seem to leave you alone. In Taiwan, I do 100 km/h really as a max sustained speed (80 mph is 130 km/h). And then in the city, in a car, you won’t get hurt driving a car in many (most?) situations as the speeds are low, stops frequent, etc.
And I’ve stated numerous times that I, to my own knowledge, broke no law, and that I used this not as defense of my action but as an appeal to “I have car driving experience and tried to take this turn as safely as possible and I’m getting the fine and not the other guy?”
And for some reason this still has not got through to y’all. All I even mentioned it in the thread for was a comment about the selective enforcement, whereby a guy parked in the intersection gets nothing and I get ticketed, and then I see the cop turning left and he can barely do so without crossing the yellow line. I never compared, I used it solely to say that hey, I’ve never had an accident and I drove a car and I can turn left safely onto an empty road. Cut me a break, given the circumstances?
And he didn’t, and I was frustrated still, so I shit on him and compared my driving to his, because from the short sample I saw (he also did no shoulder look when taking off), I’m probably the better driver of us two. Oh, and he was an asshole and potentially ticketed me based on motorcycle and/or race, while the van got away with nothing at all.
It was a vent and as most vents I used the opportunity to shit on him, not to explain the incident in it’s full complexity, and for some reason y’all just can not drop that shit.
Nor am I asking for anyone to, as I didn’t really do anything beyond write something in an inflammatory style and then get gangbanged which is understandable especially giving the wording of the original comment
I didn’t ask for your input on my subjective experience but thanks, good to know my word isn’t worth anything and you’ll just assume the worst about me because I tickled your balls a bit wrong. Take it or leave it. It’s really not so hard to miss a hook turn, and definitely not given the circumstances.
Here’s another one: think it’s hard to miss a turn box? Well, clearly I’m not alone, as some others think it’s not hard to miss a light due to poor urban design here. Something which I’ve talked about a ton. It’s hardly ignorance of the law if you’re not aware you’re breaking it. And by this I mean I am more than aware I’m supposed to hook turn, been doing so since I got the first ticket, but I couldn’t see the sign or much of the box it as I’ve explained at least twice now.
This pretty much is the answer. It also explains why US Americans who complain here in Taiwan about traffic usually disregard infrastructure as a cause and a solution. For many of them, it is just education and enforcement. I guess the similarities between Taiwan and US infrastructures make them believe Taiwan is not as bad as it is.
Highways (I mean roads with segregated travel directions) are the safest ones, even if they allow higher speeds. The chances of a frontal collision, which is the most dangerous ones, are rare in a highway.
I can say Americans driving in Japan often do not follow the signs (granted they can be different but should they not study a bit I would think), the small roads and parking seem give Americans problems too. For me driving in USA is easy, the biggest thing I see is angry drivers which is less common in Japan but more common in Taiwan.
Driving is New Zealand/Aussie is easy, they drive the correct side of the road and big roadways.
Tainan has some in Central/west areas, seem to work with one has laneways for cars and scooters, I always wonder people from taipei have trouble with them
