We’ve all been there. You go on holiday, pick up a rental car, venture out onto the roads… and it’s bedlam. Not only have you got new highway codes and road signs to grapple with, but you’ve got different driving norms, too. It can be absolute chaos.
But have you ever wondered which country’s drivers are the worst? Well, a study commissioned by French motorway operator Vinci Autoroutes reckons it has found out. Called the ‘European barometer on responsible driving’, the study surveyed 12,400 Europeans (from 11 countries) earlier this year on how they perceive their own driving, the driving of their countrymen and of others around Europe.
The survey results were a bit worrying, to say the least. Across the continent, 79 percent of replies had a negative view of fellow drivers. In the UK, a quarter said they were a completely different person behind the wheel, while in Poland 42 percent said that driving is about ‘every man for himself’.
Of all the countries in the study, however, it’s Greece that really stands out. A whopping 91 percent of Greeks had something negative to say about other countries’ drivers, while they also reported the most ‘uncivil behaviour’ from their own drivers. For swearing, beeping, tailgating, driving on the phone and even getting out of your car to confront other drivers, Greece ranked very highly indeed. In other words, if you’re planning a road trip through Greece this summer, you best be ready for one hell of a ride.
But Vinci’s study isn’t all about the negative stuff. The Spanish and British, for instance, are the least judgemental about the driving of people in other countries, while the German responses were rather favourable of their own countrymen – reporting that very few of their fellow drivers were aggressive or irresponsible.
If you’re interested in finding out more, you can read Vinci’s study here.