In March 2022 a large-scale survey was conducted across Europe, gathering insights from twelve thousand four hundred respondents on behalf of Vinci Autoroutes, a major operator of French highways. The research was executed by Ipsos, a leading market research firm, and involved at least a thousand participants in each of eleven countries to explore people’s driving habits at home and on the road abroad. The goal was to map how drivers view themselves and their peers while also testing common national stereotypes about driving behavior.
The study reveals a landscape where stereotypes often align with self-perceptions, though not without notable contradictions. In Poland to illustrate a stark example, forty-two percent of respondents echoed the belief that driving is every person for themselves. In contrast, only seven percent of Spaniards shared that sentiment. Across the board, these findings show that cultural narratives shape how people interpret the actions of other drivers as much as how they see their own behavior.
Across participants, a pattern emerges in which national moods and driving norms intersect with judgments about others behind the wheel. Italians, for instance, were seen by their peers as relatively polite by sixteen percent of respondents, while in France a smaller segment, fourteen percent, perceived fellow French drivers as constantly stressed. In the United Kingdom, a plurality of participants expressed a positive sentiment about their peers, with sixty-eight percent describing other drivers as calm and polite behind the wheel. Among Germans, who are often associated with high-speed motorways, there was a belief that only a minority of drivers in other countries display aggression, with a conservative estimate around thirty percent.
Greece stood out for its own paradoxal stance. Greek drivers were viewed as highly critical by many, yet they admitted to breaking rules themselves more frequently than others. Roughly half of Greek respondents reported expressing anger through swearing, signaling, or overtaking where prohibited, and a notable portion indicated a willingness to push an annoying car aside from the road. This self-reported behavior underscores a complex relationship between self-critique and external judgment in driving culture.
The survey also highlights strong differences in mobile device use while behind the wheel. Greek respondents were notably more prone to using phones while driving, with seventy-seven percent admitting to using a phone and eighty-three percent reporting smartphone use. In contrast, Spain ranked lower on this metric, with sixty-two percent of respondents acknowledging smartphone usage during driving. These patterns point to varying risk perceptions and cultural norms around multitasking on the road across Europe.
When it comes to cross-country sentiments, a minority of drivers held positive views about peers from other nations. Greece again sat on the lower end of the spectrum, whereas the United Kingdom emerged as a more favorable reference point, with half of British respondents reporting a positive view of drivers from other countries. These attitudes reflect how trust and camaraderie among motorists can differ considerably from one national context to another, even within a shared continental framework.
Overall, the study offers a nuanced portrait of how national stereotypes can both illuminate and distort perceptions of driving behavior. It also provides a constructive lens for transport authorities, automotive brands, and policymakers in Canada, the United States, and beyond, illustrating the importance of addressing safety, empathy, and cross-border driving norms in a globally connected market. The data suggest that efforts to improve road safety should consider not only actual driving practices but also the cultural narratives that shape drivers’ expectations of themselves and others on the road. Acknowledging these dynamics can help design clearer public messaging, targeted education campaigns, and user-centered signage that resonates across diverse driving communities. The findings come with a reminder that perception matters as much as performance when it comes to traffic safety and road etiquette.
Depositphotos provides visual context for the study, illustrating the broad geographic scope and varied driving cultures examined in the survey.