New research has named the safest (and most dangerous) roads in the world.
UK roads have been ranked as the 6th safest, a rather disappointing result considering our ongoing claims to have the joint safest roads in the world along with Sweden.
The result will further calls for more government focus on road safety and the reintroduction of targets.
The study, conducted by car subscription service FINN, analysed the number of fatalities due to car accidents in each country. It ranks the safest and most dangerous countries by deaths per 100,000 people.

The 10 safest roads in the world

Rank

Country

Road deaths per 100,000

1

Iceland

2.05

2

Norway

2.12

3

Switzerland

2.25

4

Ireland

3.13

5

Sweden

3.14

6

United Kingdom

3.21

7

Japan

3.60

8

Denmark

3.70

9

Germany

3.78

10

Finland

3.89

Cold realities

Iceland has the fewest road deaths, with just 2 per 100,000 people.
Despite poor weather conditions and many unpaved roads, Icelandic drivers are some of the least likely in the world to face fatalities on the road.
Iceland is a hub for tourism, consequently, many popular roads around the golden circle and Reykjavik are tarmacked and well-maintained compared to the sparsely populated centre of the country which is connected by a network of gravel roads.
Norway has similar road issues to Iceland, mainly based on adverse winter weather conditions. Despite this, Norway’s roads also have the least number of reported deaths, as there are only 2.12 road deaths per 100,000 people.
Scandinavian driving lessons and tests are notoriously thorough, and speeding fines are high, resulting in safer roads.
Switzerland has the third-fewest road deaths, with just 2.25 per 100,000 people.
Swiss driving laws are strictly enforced, and there is little tolerance for speeding and reckless driving.
This no-nonsense attitude may have contributed to the low death rate. As a country situated in and around the Alps, Swiss roads have a reputation for spectacular views from winding mountain passes.

Top 10 deadliest roads in the world

Rank

Country

Road deaths per 100,000

1

Saudi Arabia

35.94

2

Thailand

32.21

3

Malaysia

22.48

4

Kuwait

15.43

5

Colombia

15.42

6

Chile

14.91

7

Argentina

14.06

8

Panama

13.92

9

Mexico

14.06

10

Kazakhstan

13.92

Hot tarmac

Saudi Arabia has the highest number of road deaths with 35.94 per 100,000 people, which is 27 more than the average of 8.57. The country has large deposits of crude oil, meaning petrol prices are very cheap. As a result, more people can afford to drive fast fuel-burning supercars which can be less safe than common cars due to factors such as poor visibility.

Thailand has the second deadliest roads in the world, with 32 deaths per 100,000 people.
Many Thai citizens ride motorcycles rather than drive cars, and it is common for many people to ride on a motorbike together. This, combined with a lack of helmets, can result in an increased likelihood of road deaths.
Malaysia has the third-highest number of road deaths, at 22.5 per 100,000 people.
Despite this ranking, there is a substantial difference between Malaysia and Thailand, as the country has almost ten fewer deaths per 100,000 people.

Most dangerous roads

The most dangerous roads in the world are found in the South American country of Argentina, with an overall score of just 1.65/10. Many factors contributed to this low score, including a seatbelt-wearing percentage of just 43.6%. In addition, the road quality score was just 3.6, and the traffic level was 175.

Perhaps surprisingly, the USA has the second most dangerous roads of all the nations studied. 29% of all road traffic deaths in America are put down to alcohol, and their high maximum speed limits also contribute. Unlike many countries in the world, American drivers can take to the wheel in their mid-teenage years. As younger drivers with a lack of driving experience are often perceived to be more dangerous on the roads, this could play a factor.

Although Greece does not perform terribly in any aspect of road safety, the Mediterranean country scores poorly for a number of factors. Only 72% of Greeks wear a seatbelt and there are 8.31 road deaths per 100,000 people, resulting in a third-place ranking for the most dangerous roads of any nation studied.

The study also found that:

  • Serbia has the lowest road quality score, with a score of just 3.5/7

  • The motorway speed limit in Germany is a speedy 447kph

  • Argentina was named the least safe country to drive in with a road safety score of 1.65/10.

The full study can be viewed here.