We drove on the Autobahn today. Our Ford remained as smooth as ever. They take their cars seriously here and force regular inspections. But this got me wondering about safety records and why more countries haven't adopted similar approaches to highway driving. Here is Germany's 2014 record from Wikipedia:
It turns out that the injury and fatality rates on the Autobahn -- measured per billion vehicle kilometers traveled -- are actually relatively low compared to urban and rural road classes. It is also relatively low compared to international standards. Here is a 2012 comparison, also via Wikipedia:
Europe as a whole does very well in this regard (not that this specifically addresses Autobahn safety). Generally, fatalities have declined significantly over the last few decades. Here is a chart from the World Health Organization:
What is clear to me after seeing this data, though, is that the greater problem looks to exist outside of our highways and motorways.
