EasyCar allows you to rent a car via the Internet in 60 countries and is one of the largest companies of its kind. It was its marketers who first decided to compile the World Driving Report – a review of various countries in terms of the development of their road infrastructure and its condition, the behavior of local drivers, and the strictness of laws and their enforcers. To create the report, which is planned to be released annually, 2,000 British motorists who regularly use car rental services while traveling abroad were surveyed.
The study did not include all countries where EasyCar operates: 20 most visited by British tourists in 2006 were selected. The review includes exotic countries such as India and South Africa, as well as North America (USA and Canada), Australia, and, of course, Britain's closest neighbors: France, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Malta, Cyprus, Ireland, Netherlands, and Turkey.
The first thing drivers notice in a foreign country is the condition of the roads and the ability to call a tow truck. According to the British, France is 'ahead of the whole planet' in this regard: 62% of respondents believe that French highways outshine both German autobahns and American highways. American roads came in second: 59% voted for them. Next in the ranking are Switzerland (54%), Spain (54%), and Germany (53%).
Conversely, the worst roads (solely in terms of road surface condition) are in Ireland (62% of respondents agree), South Africa (61%), Greece (60%), Portugal (52%), and Italy (45%). Ireland also topped the category of 'narrowest roads' – 49% of surveyed motorists think so.
The most understandable road signs, according to the British, are in the Netherlands (77%), followed by Australia (75%), USA (67%), Germany (62%), Switzerland (60%). The most confusing sign system is recognized in Italy (68%), Portugal (62%), Ireland (56%), Canada (53%), and Spain (52%).
Australia, with its vast areas and low population density, is the leader in the 'freest roads' indicator – 49% of surveyed British think so. The not-small USA and Canada yield in this to Cyprus (47%), France (42%), and Ireland (38%). Conversely, the highest chance of getting into a traffic jam is for those traveling in the Netherlands (65%), Italy (61%), USA (47%), Ireland (46%), South Africa (45%), and Portugal (33%).
As for the infrastructure of gas stations, roadside cafes, and workshops that have their own tow truck, the British consider overseas ones the best, in Canada, USA, and Australia (53%, 52%, and 48% respectively), followed closely by Germany and Switzerland. Drivers named the services provided on the roads of Greece (35%), Ireland (26%), and Cyprus (23%) as the worst.
Overall, the British feel most comfortable behind the wheel in the USA, Australia, Ireland, Cyprus, and France.
Australia was named the country with the safest roads, while the USA ceded second place to Switzerland. Drivers also consider Belgium and Canada safe. According to traveling Brits, the most courteous drivers are in the Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, USA, and Switzerland; roughly the same top five countries whose residents are very cautious behind the wheel: Belgium, Netherlands, USA, Germany, and Canada.
The British experience the most stress when traveling in Italy (42%), Portugal (36%), Spain (30%), Greece (28%), and South Africa (25%). In Italy, they are apparently mainly bothered by the confusion of signs and the speed at which Italians move on the roads (79% of respondents consider the inhabitants of the Apennines the fastest drivers), while drivers in South Africa are recognized as the most careless and rude.
Carelessness and rudeness are also characteristic of drivers in Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and France, but they lash out at fellow motorists most often in Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, and Canada – in these countries, the British indicated, they had to get personal with other drivers.
The car fleet of the countries visited by British travelers also did not go unnoticed. The British noted that cars look the most expensive in Germany (perhaps the average cost of cars in Germany is indeed higher) – 40% of respondents think so. Cars look not cheap for residents of the Netherlands (27%), Switzerland (23%), Belgium (21%), and the USA (15%). The USA was also recognized as the country with the largest cars (81% of respondents): in this indicator, it surpasses Canada (72%), Australia (51%), Switzerland (23%), and Greece (19%). According to the British, the population of Belgium, Cyprus, Spain, Netherlands, and France mainly drives small cars.