KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia still ranks top 10 in the world as the most dangerous country to drive in, data from independent firm Zutobi revealed.

While Malaysia ranked seventh last year, in 2022, the country dropped one rank to number eight.

According to Zutobi, Malaysia recorded a safety score of only 5.63 out of 10.

"Malaysia also recorded 22.5 scores for traffic lane deaths per 100,000 of its population, the second-highest after Thailand which recorded a score of 32.3," the data states. 

However, the study showed that out of 10 other countries, Malaysia recorded the lowest number of road deaths involving alcohol consumption with only a 1.0 score.

The data showed South Africa is still the most dangerous country to drive in, with a worrying score of 3.41 out of 10.

"It is estimated that there are 22.2 road deaths for every 100,000 South African population and based on estimation, only 31 per cent of front seat passengers in South Africa wear a seat belt."

Thailand is still keeping its title of being the second-most dangerous country to drive in with a score of 4.35 out of 10.

The main issue raised by the data was the low number of people wearing seat belts in the country, which was probably contributed because most Thais used motorbikes as their primary transport.

"The United States is listed as the third-most dangerous country (to drive) with its safety score recorded at 5.03 out of 10.

"This is because 29 per cent of road deaths in the US are related to alcohol consumption.

"India on the other hand is witnessing a growing number of deaths by over 50 per cent this year with a death rate of 15.6 out of 22.6 for every 100,000 people."

India is currently in fifth place with a 5.48 safety score, followed by Argentina in fourth place, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Croatia, are in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

Peru and Bolivia are sitting in the ninth and 10th place after recording the same score of 5.74.

The data firm also revealed that Norway is the safest country to drive in, with an impressive score of 8.20 where seat belt-related issue is not a cause of road deaths in the country.

"Iceland is in the second place with an 8.05 score. The maximum speed allowed in Iceland is 90 km/hour, much lower than the average of 120 km/hour allowed in other countries."

The third safest country in the world to drive in is Estonia, with a score of 7.90, followed by Japan, 7.88 and Moldova, 7.73.