After being shamed for having the worst traffic in the world in February, Thailand wrapped up 2017 by nabbing the title of “Country With The Highest Road Traffic Death Rate” in a report from World Atlas.
According to the report, which ranked 30 countries, Thailand has an average of 36.2 road deaths per 100,000 citizens, which is the highest in the world.
The second and third places fall to Malawi (35), and Liberia (33.7), respectively. African countries fill most of the top-ten slots.
From the findings, World Atlas noted that, while low- and middle-income countries have less than half of the world’s vehicles, they contribute to over 90 percent of the total number of road traffic deaths and that “their poorly maintained road networks and a lack of resources to enforce road safety laws and get medical assistance are major factors.”
Without explaining traffic deaths in each country, the report said that half of the people killed in road accidents are pedestrians, cyclists, or operators of two-wheeled vehicles. It said that in Southeast Asia and the Pacific regions, motorcycle deaths account for as many as 33 percent of all road deaths.
A survey from the WHO earlier this year also named Thailand the most lethal country in which to drive two-wheeled vehicles.
In 2015, the WHO ranked Thai roads as the second deadliest in the world after Libya.
See the full report here.
Snoop says
I learned to ride bikes in india, spent time in a few other countries after.
I have become used to driving in thailand and now im scared riding in those countries! Thailand is way safer than india or vietnam just to name a few. Relative to the west yes thailand may be dangerous, but fair to say that Thailand is one of the safest asian countries to ride a motorbike in.