[B’ Spokes: To make more of point I included (in the read more) a table of road fatality rates per population sorted by the lowest to highest stopping when I came to the U.S.. Or straight to my point, better education makes better drivers.]
I have newfound respect for all the motorists I encounter on British roads. A UK license is basically a PhD in driving
By Judd Birdsall, The Guardian
The United States and the United Kingdom have many important similarities, but a rigorous driving test is not one of them.
…
To get my American license when I was 16 years old, I had to take a very short multiple choice theory test. Having not studied and never driven, I passed easily. Then I took a practical test that consisted of a 15-minute amble through a flat rural area. I performed poorly, and at the end of my test the examiner turned to me and said, “You really don’t know what you’re doin’, do ya?” And he passed me.
I initially assumed the UK test was comparable to the one across the pond. But then I read that the large majority of UK motorists fail their first driving exam. And I heard horror stories of Americans and other foreigners failing multiple times. I began to study (or “revise” as you Brits say) in earnest.
I’m a doctoral student at Cambridge, and I’m quite sure I prepared much more for my driving tests than I will for my PhD viva next year.
A UK license is basically a PhD in driving.
…
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/02/uk-driving-law-versus-us
| Country | Road fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants per year | Road fatalities per 100,000 motor vehicles | Road fatalities per 1 billion vehicle-km | Total fatalities latest year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Marino | 0 | 0 | ||
| Federated States of Micronesia | 1.8 | 400 | ||
| Maldives | 1.9 | 795.7 | ||
| United Kingdom | 2.75 | 5.1 | 3.6 | 1,754 |
| Iceland | 2.8 | 5 | 3.9 | |
| Sweden | 3 | 7 | 5.1 | 270 |
| Palestinian territories | 3.2 | 86.5 | 120 | |
| Israel | 3.3 | 9.5 | 5 | 263 (290 Including the West Bank) |
| Malta | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.9 | |
| Netherlands | 3.9 | 7 | 5.6 | 640 |
| Norway | 4.3 | 8 | 3.5 | 154 |
| Switzerland | 4.3 | 7 | 5.6 | |
| Germany | 4.4 | 6.9 | 7.2(2009)[4] | 3,600 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 4.6 | 32.4 | ||
| Denmark | 4.7 | 6.1 | 175 | |
| Ireland | 4.7 | 6.44 | 4.2 | 161 (2012)[26] |
| Finland | 5.1 | 11 | 7 | |
| Singapore | 5.1 | 30.4 | ||
| Japan | 5.2 | 6.8 | 4,914 | |
| Spain | 5.4 | 10 | 11.7 | 1,484 |
| Tonga | 5.8 | 40.2 | ||
| Kiribati | 6 | 51.4 | ||
| Australia | 6.1 | 8[2] | 5.8 | 1,291 |
| Fiji | 6.3 | 40 | ||
| Luxembourg | 6.3 | 8 | 5.4 | |
| France | 6.4 | 9.57 | 3,645 | |
| Estonia | 6.5 | 34 | 17.5 | 101 |
| Austria | 6.6 | 12 | 8.9 | 522 |
| Guatemala | 6.7 | 125.6 | ||
| Brunei Darussalam | 6.8 | 19.8 | ||
| Canada | 6.8 | 13 | 8.2 | |
| Italy | 7.2 | 12 | 3,650 | |
| Slovenia | 7.2 | 17 | 17.2 | |
| Barbados | 7.3 | 64.9 | ||
| Marshall Islands | 7.4 | 4 | ||
| Cyprus | 7.6 | 23.6 | 16.7 | |
| Czech Republic | 7.6 | 20 | 19.5 | |
| Cuba | 7.8 | 226.3 | ||
| Republic of Macedonia | 7.9 | 43.9 | ||
| Belgium | 8.1 | 17 | 10.8 | |
| Serbia | 8.3 | 43.2 | 656 | |
| Hungary | 9.1 | 14 | 14.1 | |
| New Zealand | 9.1 | 11 | 9.1 | 375 (2010)284 (2011) |
| Philippines | 9.1 | 606.1 | ||
| Slovakia | 9.4 | 14.2 | 24.5 | |
| Cook Islands | 9.9 | |||
| Bulgaria | 10.4 | 37 | 19.1 | |
| Croatia | 10.4 | 19.5 | ||
| United States of America | 10.4 | 15 | 8.5 | 33,808 |
Data source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rateoldId.20131204213328626