Driving overseas can be a stressful experience, particularly when you have to drive on the opposite side of the road.
But you might be surprised at how quickly your brain can adapt to its new environment with a little practice, as I’ve discovered on numerous international car launches.
That said, I’ll never forget sharing a car in Spain with an industry colleague who was driving on the right-hand side for the first time: “My brain is going berserk like one of those old Windows XP computers after you put a disc into it,” he said in a baffled tone as we approached a roundabout. But he quickly got used to it.
But it’s also true that some countries are more intimidating to drive in than others, something recently highlighted by an international study conducted by UK firm Scrap Car Comparison.
Participants were asked to indicate how nervous they’d be to drive in each country, ranking them on a scale of one to 10, with one being ‘not nervous at all’ and 10 being ‘extremely nervous’.
The country with the highest score was none other than India, with a ‘scare score’ of 7.15 out of 10. It was followed by Venezuela, at 6.79 on the scare scale, with Zimbabwe taking third place at 6.90 ahead of Morocco, Thailand and China.
South Africa ranked 21st in the list of scariest countries in which to drive, with a score of 6.08, proving marginally more intimidating than Hong Kong, Greece, Italy and New Zealand, which rounded out the top 25.
But what catapults India to the top of the international scare list?
According to the authors of the study, it’s a combination of unpredictable traffic conditions and multiple hazards to be aware of, with everything from cars and motorcycles to rickshaws and sometimes even cattle sharing the roads. The frequent honking of horns for communication purposes also adds to the levels of stress for foreign drivers.
And heavy traffic is certainly the order of the day, with the cities of Pune and Bengaluru both featuring in the top 10 of TomTom’s Traffic Index.
Venezuela takes second spot due to poor road maintenance, frequent long queues for fuel and very loosely enforced traffic laws resulting in unpredictable driving behaviour.
Zimbabwe earns its podium spot as a result of poorly maintained rural roads and fuel shortages.
But where are South Africans most afraid to drive? According to the authors, SA drivers also find India to be the most intimidating motoring destination, followed by China, Mexico, Japan and Hong Kong.
The study also found that motorists from all over the world list driving on the opposite side of the road as one of the scariest things about driving abroad, along with accidentally breaking a road law and dangerous driving of other motorists.
55.9% of respondents identified the latter as a concern, and interestingly previous research suggests that motorists in Thailand, Peru and Lebanon are among the most dangerous drivers in the world.
“Regardless of where you’re driving, the unknown nature of drivers in another country can cause a lot of anxiety for visiting motorists, especially as manic road conditions are often witnessed before travelling, on the likes of YouTube or travel TV shows,” ScrapCarComparison said.
The company advises motorists to research local driving laws before setting off on their journey. Once at their destination drivers are advised to choose an appropriate vehicle, such as a smaller one in highly congested urban areas, while the use of reliable GPS and navigation apps is also highly recommended.
IOL