<i>Can it be that flanner is one of those people who drives with a little trilby hat on and string-backed driving gloves?</i>

The sort of person who always sees an open road ahead of them...

...and a massive queue behind them

>>...and a massive queue behind them<<

No, that's what they <i>don't</i> see.

What matters is the risk of driving on the road and the UK has one of the lowest road fatality and serious accident rates in the world. By comparison the roads in the USA are much more dangerous partly due to the culture of texting and phoning whilst driving which is still legal in a lot of States. Also in many States speeding is not as strictly policed due to lack of fixed speed cameras and in some States there is still a much more tolerant attitude to DUI.

Over the years, I have driven from Cape Ann in the North to New Orleans. Covered nearly all the coast, never once had an incident, very rarely have I experienced poor driving. SC is so laid back, even more so than rural Scotland. You are regularly flashed by other drivers for speeding in rural SC.

Miami was a little racy but apart from that we have 000s of miles of incredibly enjoyable driving.

http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/t...al_Version.pdf

I was shocked to find what sprogster says was true and had to find the facts and he/she is more than right - in terms on Britain - and Europeans when driving in U.S. always say Americans are much more polite and curteous drivers - based on number of cars miles driven of course means roads are a lot more safe in the U K than in the U S of A - perhaps for the reasons srpogster gives though I'd have to look at rates before cell phone use and texting became popular with driving to make that statement 100% but seems plausible.

Heck even Italy - Italy has safer drivers than America does - now that is a complete shock.

perhaps driving ages has something to do with it - 16 here in most states to get your own license - Europeans often start much later I believe.