Researchers measured traits like kindness, empathy, and cooperativeness, with an emphasis on agreeableness.
The Big 5 Personality Test looks at how wide someone’s social focus truly is. The test measures this across five main social traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. “Friendly driving” more often involves agreeableness. As such, researchers at AutoTrader worked on a study of this specific trait. In the end, they landed on which countries host the friendliest drivers on Earth.
U.S. drivers placed in the top five friendliest
After answering survey questions, U.S. drivers averaged a “friendly driving” score of 33.37. The score placed 4th on a list of the top 15 friendliest drivers. The UK, Australia, and New Zealand placed first, second, and third, respectively.
According to the study, British drivers are “renowned for their adherence to road rules and an ingrained sense of courtesy, such as signaling well in advance and allowing others to merge in traffic.”
Moving on to the Aussies, “Australians often exhibit patience and tolerance, even during rush hour.”
In terms of New Zealand, “Kiwi drivers are known for their willingness to give way and their patience on rural and urban roads alike.” The study cites New Zealand’s scenic landscapes and slower-paced lifestyle as large contributors to their overall amicable driving.
“American drivers are often praised for their willingness to help others.”
This includes stopping to help broken-down cars and other drivers experiencing emergencies.
AutoTrader says that while U.S. drivers are often portrayed as aggressive or combative in movies and TV shows, in reality, they have a “universal sense of politeness and safety-first attitudes”
Researchers surveyed 3,200 participants from 16 countries on their “agreeableness” toward driving using the Big 5 Personality Test.
