Strictest Road Rules

Driving abroad can be difficult – not only do you need to navigate new streets, road signs and etiquette, but there are a whole new set of road rules that you need to follow. 

There have been massive efforts to reduce road traffic accidents worldwide, and stricter laws can mean that drivers need to be more cautious and stay informed of the latest changes, both domestically and abroad. With this in mind, car insurance comparison service iSelect has created this index to determine which countries have the strictest road rules, so that drivers can make safer and more informed decisions when getting behind the wheel.

How did we find the strictest driving laws in the world?

We’ve created this index to showcase the countries with the strictest driving rules. To collate our index, we analysed data including:

• Speed limit ranges by road type
• Seatbelt, drink-driving, mobile phone, and child safety laws
• Speed camera density (per 100,000 people)

We used this data to create normalised index scores for each country, in order to compare them against each other. In this context, ‘strictness’ refers to the countries with the most restrictive or carefully-monitored driving laws.

Top 10 Countries with the Strictest Road Laws

Of those countries surveyed, these are the ten that have the strictest road laws. Of course, we have to mention Australia – it unfortunately didn’t make the top ten, and in fact scored a rather unimpressive index of 60.33 out of 100, with a middling average speed limit and BAC limit, and a relatively low number of speed cameras per 100,000 people.

10. United Arab Emirates – 67.60/100

Coming in at number ten is the United Arab Emirates – despite having the highest average speed limit in our index at an eye-watering 78mph, the UAE otherwise takes safety very seriously, with a high number of speed cameras per 100,000 people and no legal tolerance for drink driving.

The country also strictly upholds its road safety laws with steep punishments on offer for offenders, including immediate penalties for reckless driving, running red lights, or ignoring road signs, and innovative real-time traffic cameras capturing any violations on the spot.

9. United Kingdom – 68.07/100

The UK is next and, although it has one of the highest tolerances for drink-driving with a legal limit of 0.08 BAC (tied with US, Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Mexico and Canada), it has the second highest number of speed cameras per 100,000 people, so speeding offences are much more easily captured.

As a small and quite densely-populated country, there are built-up areas with speed limits of just 20mph, but the UK still managed a middling average speed limit of 57mph, the same as both France and Türkiye.

8. United States – 68.91/100

The numbers for the US aren’t dissimilar to those of the UK, although the United States takes the crown for most speed cameras with a huge 135.94 per 100,000 people. Compare that to the Philippines, which has just 0.01 speed cameras per 100,000 people, and the difference in traffic monitoring is stark.

Along with the UK, the US operates with a maximum legal limit of 0.08 BAC, although some states do have lower ‘zero tolerance’ laws, especially for young or commercial drivers, which can warrant a criminal charge. If you’re travelling in the US, it’s vital that you check the road rules for any state you plan to drive in given they differ from one state to another.

7. Romania – 71.02/100

While Romania has some of the strictest road rules, including a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol, it does have a relatively high average speed limit of 59mph and just 0.77 speed cameras per 100,000 people. Despite taking steps towards strict road rules, Romania also reported the highest road fatality rate in the EU in 2024,¹https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20190410STO36615/road-death-statistics-in-the-eu-infographic at 78 deaths per million inhabitants, so it seems the country still has some room to grow.

6. Hungary – 71.09/100

Much like Romania, Hungary also has a zero-tolerance policy for inebriation when driving, an average speed limit of 59mph and a relatively low number of speed cameras at just 1.24 per 100,000 people. It’s also compulsory to carry a warning triangle that you can place on the road if you break down, and headlamp converters to avoid dazzling other drivers with bright headlights at night, and you can’t use your horn in urban areas.

5. Czechia – 71.32/100

Continuing our pattern, Czechia is another European country that has a zero-tolerance BAC policy, 59mph average speed limit and middling number of speed cameras (although it outdoes Hungary and Romania with 2.77 cameras per 100,000 people). In addition, winter tyres are compulsory between November and March, and any other time when the temperature dips below 4 degrees or there is a chance of snow or ice.

4. Norway – 72.63/100

Norway has the second-lowest average speed limit in our index at just 48mph, the same as Canada, Mexico, India and the Netherlands. The country has an average number of speed cameras with 2.41 per 100,000 people but a very low tolerance for drink driving, with a legal limit of just 0.02 BAC. If you get caught committing a driving offence in Norway, you can be given an on-the-spot fine of up to 10,000 NOK (around AU$1,500).

3. Japan – 72.64/100

Japan has easily the lowest speed limit in our index at just 43mph – 5mph less than the next-lowest – as well as a minimal alcohol tolerance of just 0.03 BAC. They do have a low number of speed cameras per 100,000 people, but while enforcement may seem somewhat lax, the penalties for speeding include fines, accumulation of demerit points, license suspension and even jail time. It’s also interesting to note that street parking is largely illegal in Japan and this is strictly enforced, so be careful where you leave your car.

2. Sweden – 74.57/100

Sweden has a low average speed limit of 51mph and a low alcohol tolerance of 0.02 BAC, with random tests carried out on the roads. Additionally, for winter driving, Swedes must have antifreeze in their windshield fluid and a shovel to clear snow. It seems these strict road rules work, because in 2024, Sweden had the fewest road fatalities per million inhabitants in the EU!²https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20190410STO36615/road-death-statistics-in-the-eu-infographic

1. Saudi Arabia – 81.17/100

Driving in Saudi Arabia means complying with some strict road laws, including a total zero-tolerance policy for alcohol as well as a ban on phones, eating, drinking and looking away from the road. It also has the third most speed cameras at 69.76 per 100,000 people, so violators are highly likely to be caught. Penalties for driving offences range from fines and black points to loss of vehicle and license.

Top 5 Strictest US States

We also wanted to identify how much the rules of the road can vary even within one country, so we’ve also analysed US states to see which are the strictest. Our research determined that the top five strictest states are:

1. Hawaii – 84.75
2. California – 69.99
3. Iowa – 67.57
4. Illinois – 64.88
5. Maine – 63.45

Hawaii had the lowest average speed limit in the states at 53mph, lower than the country’s average of 62mph.

Illinois has high fines for being caught not wearing a seatbelt at $164.00, but New Mexico took the crown at $254.00, while the lowest fines are found in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, at just $10. Hawaii has the highest fines for not having a child in the correct car seat at $800, while West Virginia set that fine at just $20.

Interestingly, almost every state has a blanket ban on texting while driving except Montana, and many states do not allow or closely restrict the use of speed cameras, even though the US overall had the highest number of speed cameras per 100,000 people in our index.

Why Road Rules Matter

The enforcement of road traffic laws is critical to the overall safety of drivers, road users and pedestrians – at the extreme end, dangerous or severely negligent drivers can be removed from the road, but the rules themselves are a deterrent to poor behaviour.

If you’re heading overseas this summer, make sure you plan ahead to avoid getting caught out by unintentionally breaking driving rules.

• Documents – gather all necessary documents, and make sure your driving license is accepted and usable in your destination country. Some countries require an international driving license, which you’ll need to acquire before taking to the roads.
• Research – spend some time looking up the general rules of the road in your destination country, and look for some cultural etiquette as well. Remember, some countries drive on the right, so make sure you’re not taking any roundabouts backwards!
• Plan your route – if you’re doing a long trip or driving anywhere on unfamiliar streets, map it out ahead of time so you know roughly where you’re going, even if you’re going to use a sat-nav.
• Pay attention to the road – don’t drive drunk or distracted, and pay close attention to the road ahead of you. In a foreign country, you may experience very different driving etiquette, and you have to be prepared for someone to act in a way unexpected to you.