Italians drive badly? Dutch think so, but numbers tell otherwise

April 30, 2025

Driver behavior

A total of 1,250 Dutch people were asked how they rate the driving style of drivers from different countries. Italians and Poles came out worst. More than 40 percent consider their driving behavior (very) bad. On the other hand, the Danes are actually popular: 70 percent call their driving style good or even very good. Germans, Swedes, Swiss and Norwegians also receive ample satisfaction: two-thirds of those surveyed are positive about them.

EU accident statistics

This appreciation seems to be reflected in EU accident statistics. Between 2013 and 2023, an average of 475 Danes per million inhabitants had an accident each year. In the Netherlands, that number is more than twice as high. It is also striking that countries such as Finland, Norway, Cyprus and even Poland have relatively few traffic accidents. Closer to home, the situation is less rosy. In Belgium, Germany and Austria – just across the border – there are far more accidents. The Italians, often seen as dangerous, are only eighth among EU countries with the most accidents per million inhabitants. The chart below gives a good idea of the reality.

	Country	Average number of traffic accidents per million inhabitants	Average number of traffic fatalities per million inhabitants
1	Liechtenstein	8.811	53
2	Austria	4.114	47
3	Germany	3.559	37
4	Belgium	3.324	55
5	Portugal	3.166	59
6	Slovenia	2.894	50
7	Malta	2.816	35
8	Italy	2.784	53
9	Croatia	2.528	76
10	Iceland	2.501	33

Scandinavia, Switzerland and the Netherlands score well

Fortunately, traffic accidents do not result in fatalities in most cases. Scandinavia, Switzerland and the Netherlands have the lowest number of traffic fatalities per million inhabitants. In countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Latvia, it is just the opposite: there, accidents end fatally more often. Does that have to do with driving habits? Or with the cars themselves?

	Country	Average number of traffic accidents per million inhabitants	Average number of traffic fatalities per million inhabitants
1	Denmark	475	30
2	Cyprus	629	55
3	Finland	764	42
4	Norway	766	23
5	Poland	773	71
6	France	817	48
7	Slovakia	904	50
8	Bulgaria	996	89
9	Greece	1.014	68
10	Netherlands	1.054	32

Bad driving or old fleet?

According to Mattijs Wijnmalen of Wegenvignetten, high mortality in traffic accidents is not necessarily the result of reckless driving. “Figures from the European automotive trade organization ACEA show that countries like Romania have a relatively old car fleet. New cars are much safer due to mandatory assistance systems and stricter crash tests, where not only occupants but also pedestrians and cyclists are better protected. So when things go wrong then, the chances of a fatality with a modern car are a lot lower than with an older one.”