New study rates your chances of dying in a car around the world.
African nations dominate the list of most dangerous countries to drive in the world.
Planning a trip to Namibia or Thailand? If so, you may want to think twice about driving there.
New research has determined the countries where you are most likely to die in a car accident.
The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute study entitled “Mortality from road crashes in 193 countries: A comparison with other leading causes of death” also compared the likelihood of dying in a car accident against cancer, heart disease and cerebrovascular disease (brain dysfunction).
The researchers looked at the number of fatalities per population using data from the World Health Organization.
The African nation of Namibia is the country with the highest rate of fatalities from car crashes with 45 people per 100,000 head of population. Thailand is next with 44 deaths per 100,000 and Iran third with 38 deaths.
The results are better for Australian drivers though. Australia ranked 160 out of the 193 countries with seven fatalities per 100,000.
However, the study looked only at fatalities per 100,000 people, not the more accepted measure in determining death risks on the road – fatalities per 100,000km travelled.
Therefore countries with low vehicle usage rates such as China and India didn’t fare as poorly as expected. Smaller nations such as the Maldives, Fiji, the Marshall Islands and Antigua and Barbuda filled four of the eight places at the bottom of the list.
The Maldives had the best result with just two deaths per 100,000, ahead of Tajikistan and Malta with three deaths per 100,000.
The global average death rate on the roads is 18 fatalities per 100,000 people.
But the news isn’t so good when it comes to serious illnesses. Deaths from cancer account for 138 fatalities per 100,000 in Australia – ranking us 38 out of 193. Heart disease claimed 118 deaths per 100,000 in Australia, putting us 54th on the list. Australia was 106 in deaths from brain dysfunction with 59 per 100,000.
Countries with most deaths from car crashes per 100,000 population*
1. Namibia – 45
2. Thailand – 44
3. Iran – 38
4. Sudan – 36
5. Swaziland – 36
6. Venezuela – 35
7. Congo – 34
8. Malawi – 32
9. Dominican Republic – 32
10. Iraq – 32
Countries with least deaths from car crashes per 100,000 population*
1. Maldives – 2
2. Tajikistan – 3
3. Malta – 3
4. Fiji – 4
5. Marshall Islands – 4
6. Israel – 4
7. Tonga – 4
8. Antigua and Barbuda -4
9. The Netherlands -4
10. Switzerland – 5
*Source: Michigan University Transportation Research Institute report Mortality from road crashes in 193 countries: A comparison with other leading causes of death
