How fast do South Africans drive? VERY, finds new report

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How fast do South Africans drive exactly? Well, speaking subjectively, I’d argue ‘very fast.’ South Africa is blessed with a lot of wide-open space and high-quality roads. Not to mention plenty of affluence for a high percentage of the population to drive good cars. And don’t get us started on the minibus taxis, which can time travel with double the legal passenger allotment on board.

Nevertheless, a UK-based company, MoneySuperMarket, has introduced some science into the equation. It has released a new report on the countries with the fastest/slowest average driving speeds globally. So, let’s find out how South Africans rate against the rest …

HOW FAST DO SOUTH AFRICANS DRIVE?

Image of a speed gun for illustrative purposes only. Image: File

Out of 37 nations counted, South Africa places in the top half, at number 12 on the list. According to the data, South Africa has an average driving speed of 93.6 km/h. Interestingly, America ranks number one with a 109.5 km/h average. And the small Mediterranean island of Malta comes lowest with an average journey completed at just 23 km/h.

Of course, the report’s methodology is important to help understand the findings. It seems to look at an average journey in each country through the distribution of types of roads and density of cars. For example, America has a lot of high-speed highways and sufficient roadways. While a small island like Malta, is made up of mostly urban roads and densely packed with lots traffic in comparison.

WHO IS THE FASTEST?

We nearly drive as fast as the Germans, and we don’t even have a derestricted Autobahn. Image: File

Other notable nations above 100 km/h average speed are Canada (ranked second at 107.9 km/h, Oman third at 104.7 km/h, Croatia fourth at 102.9 km/h and Hungary fifth at 101.5 km/h. Looking purely at urban average driving speed (not listed below), Estonia is the fastest at 46.6 km/h, followed by Brunei with an average of 46.3 km/h. Check out the full list below: