The Philippines was included in the list of the “most stressful countries” for learner drivers, based on a popular American driver’s education app.
Last October 3, Zutobi released a report ranking countries where student drivers would have the “toughest” time learning, based on the following factors: congestion, road traffic deaths, registered vehicles and road quality score.
The Philippines was ranked ninth out of 43 countries.
The country had a congestion level of 42.00%, a road traffic death rate of 9.7 per 100,000 people, a road quality score of 3.53, and about 12,000 registered vehicles per 100,000 people.
Zutobi reported that the Philippines had an overall score of 3.33 out of 10.
It noted that it “gave each a normalized score out of 10 before taking an average across all four scores.”
The driver’s ed app also explained each of the factors used in its ranking.
Factors
Zutobi explained that the congestion level refers to the percentage indicating the additional time a journey would take in each city compared to free-flow conditions.
It defined congestion as the “overcrowding of vehicles on the road, leading to slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing.”
The app said that high congestion levels “mean that the average journey in major cities takes significantly longer than it would under free-flow conditions.”
Zutobi stated that such high congestion levels can make learning challenging “due to the constant stopping and starting in traffic, which can hinder concentration and smooth driving practice.”
The Philippines recorded a congestion level of 42.00%.
Meanwhile, road traffic deaths refer to the number of fatalities caused by road traffic injuries per 100,000 people, often linked to road accidents. The Philippines had a road traffic death rate of 9.7 per 100,000 people
As for registered vehicles, this refers to the number of vehicles registered per 100,000 population.
“While first and foremost you have to focus on your own actions as a learner driver, it’s also important to be aware of other road users,” the app said.
The Philippines had 12,000 registered vehicles per 100,000 people.
Meanwhile, the road quality score refers to the quality of a country’s road infrastructure, rated on a scale of 0 to 100. It reflects factors such as whether roads are well-lit, spacious and clearly marked, among others.
The Philippines received a score of 3.53 in this category.
In contrast, countries considered the “best for learning to drive” include Singapore, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
Zutobi describes itself as “America’s number one driver’s ed app” and the “ultimate study tool” for students preparing to ace their permit and driving tests, claiming a user pass rate of 95.8%.