Latvia tops the list as the European country with the most reckless drivers, scoring 75.83 out of 100 on the recklessness scale.
Austria and Greece follow closely, with recklessness scores of 73.33 and 70.00, respectively.
The UK stands as Europe's safest driving nation with an exceptionally low recklessness score of just 10.00 out of 100.
Our new study has revealed that Latvia has the most reckless drivers in Europe.
Vignetteswitzerland.com analyzed data from the European Commission's official road fatality statistics and the Vias institute's E-Survey of Road Users' Attitudes (ESRA) to compare driving behaviors across Europe, including road fatality rates, driving after drinking alcohol, speeding on freeways, driving while sleepy, phone use while driving, and seatbelt non-compliance.
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Latvia leads the list with a recklessness score of 75.83, having the highest road fatality rate (75 per million) among the top countries and an alarming 43.6% of drivers admitting to using hand-held phones while driving.
Austria ranks second with a score of 73.33, where over one-fifth (22.1%) of drivers admit to driving after consuming alcohol and 68.8% exceed speed limits on freeways.
Greece comes in third with a score of 70.00, showing the highest percentage of drivers not wearing seatbelts (27.7%) among all countries studied and a significant 41.1% of drivers using hand-held phones behind the wheel.
Luxembourg, ranking fourth with a score of 65.83, has the highest percentage of drivers who admit to driving after drinking (37.2%) and speeding on freeways (79.3%) in Europe.
Finland completes the top five with a score of 65.00 and shows concerning behavior with 44.4% of drivers talking on hand-held phones while driving—the highest percentage in any studied country.
Sweden has the lowest road fatality rate in Europe at just 22 deaths per million inhabitants, closely followed by the UK with 25 deaths per million—both significantly below the European average.
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Mattijs Wijnmalen,
CEO of Vignetteswitzerland.com, commented on the findings:
"Our findings highlight the concerning driving behaviors across European roads. Latvia's position at the top of our index reflects a combination of high road fatality rates and dangerous driving habits that put all road users at risk.
What's particularly alarming is that in countries like Luxembourg and Finland—nations known for their high standards of living and infrastructure—we're seeing extremely high rates of specific dangerous behaviors. In Luxembourg, nearly 4 in 10 drivers admit to driving after consuming alcohol, while in Finland, almost half of all drivers use hand-held phones behind the wheel.
These findings underscore the importance of understanding local traffic laws when driving across European borders. Being properly prepared is essential for safety when traveling abroad. We hope this study encourages drivers to be more conscious of their behavior on the road and for authorities to strengthen enforcement of traffic regulations that protect all road users."
Ends
Sources:
European Commission's official road fatality statistics and the Vias institute's E-Survey of Road Users' Attitudes (ESRA).
Methodology:
This study analyzes driver's recklessness across European countries using two primary data sources: the European Commission's official road fatality statistics and the Vias institute's E-Survey of Road Users' Attitudes (ESRA). The metrics are: Road Fatalities (rate per million inhabitants), and percentages of drivers who reported driving after drinking alcohol, exceeding speed limits on motorways/freeways, driving while sleepy, using hand-held phones while driving, and driving without wearing seatbelts.
The ESRA data comes from an online panel survey of over 37,000 road users across Europe, measuring self-reported driving behaviors. The analysis focuses on self-declared behavior from the ESRA survey question: "Over the last 30 days, how often did you...?" The percentages represent respondents who reported engaging in each behavior at least once during the 30-day period.
Due to absence of available data from the European Commission, the United Kingdom statistics were sourced from brake.org.uk. To calculate the rate per million inhabitants, the absolute fatality figures were divided by the total population (expressed in millions).
Data is correct as of March 2025.
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