[geocar]

The UK driving test is significantly more rigorous than the US, and it shows: UK drivers are amongst the safest in the world (2nd lowest road fatalities per 100k people; top five per 100k vehicles). The US isn't even in the top fifty (and for calibration to the American reader: Canada is in the top 30, but hey, at least the US beats out Mexico). At the end of the UK practical examination process I would expect all new drivers to be "competent" by this standard.

[millettjon]

Does your source account for number of miles driven per capita?

[geocar]

In road fatalities per bn-vehicle-km[1], UK is second, while US is 17th.

[1]: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/transport/road-safety-annual-re...

We get road fatalities per person and per vehicle from[2]

[2]: http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_st...

If we take them together:

    i  name           p÷v       *v/km 
    ------------------------------------
    1  Israel         0.371134  1.96701
    2  United Kingdom 0.5686275 2.047059
    3  Sweden         0.5957447 2.085106
    4  Denmark        0.5223881 2.089552
    5  Ireland        0.5394737 2.103947
    6  Netherlands    0.5666667 2.55
    7  Switzerland    0.7021277 3.019149
    8  Germany        0.6323529 3.098529
    9  Norway         0.7307692 3.215385
    10 Iceland        0.7540984 3.544262
    11 Australia      0.739726  3.846575
    12 France         0.6710526 3.892105
    13 Canada         0.6315789 3.915789
    14 Austria        0.7605634 4.411268
    15 Belgium        0.6261682 4.571028
    16 New Zealand    0.7142857 4.785714
    17 Slovenia       0.6736842 5.12
    18 Finland        1.090909  5.236364
    19 Spain          0.6981132 5.445283
    20 Japan          0.7230769 5.784615
    21 United States  0.8217054 5.834109
    22 South Korea    0.4482759 8.158621
    23 Czech Republic 0.7176471 9.975294
    24 Malaysia       0.8026756 10.11371
    25 Brazil         0.4652087 26.00517

[tim333]

As a Brit, though it would be nice to think we drive better, I think most of the effect is down to road engineering. Roundabouts have lower fatalities than traffic lights for example.

[geocar]

That's because you have that British self-deprecation thing.

However, because I'm not British, I have no problem saying this:

You guys know how to drive, but if it makes you feel better, the Swedes are better.