The Best Country in the World for Drivers

The Netherlands is famous for bicycles, and putting walking, cycling, and public transit ahead of cars. Yet paradoxically, it's the best place in the world to be a driver.

This video explores why it's so great to drive in the Netherlands.

NJB Live (my bicycle livestream channel):

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Kerleem - American expat living in Amsterdam (YouTube)

This is the best country to drive in

Taxation of premium unleaded (94-96 RON) gasoline (per litre, 2019)

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Chapters

0:00 Intro
0:06 Not-driving is great
0:56 Driving is great too
1:13 Kerleem & Waze agree
1:59 Traffic is light
2:58 Viable alternatives to driving
4:09 Smarter traffic lights
5:53 Stroads require traffic lights
7:46 Stop signs suck
8:38 Average speed vs. maximum speed
9:24 Fewer jerks & road rage
11:20 Easier to avoid cyclists
11:53 Mmmm ... buttery smooth asphalt
13:52 Pretty streets & roads
14:35 Power tools & conclusion
15:15 Patreon shout-out
15:28 Outro

[DiThi]

I've been saying this lately: That car enthusiasts should loudly support public infrastructure projects, because their hobby gets worse the more drivers there are. Thanks for documenting this insight and proving it right.

[LazerLord]

I try telling this to my friends and family, but their response is always "America is bigger than those small European countries" and I'm like... that's not even a reason for any of the US's infrastructure to be so shit.

[angelab]

In the Netherlands there is actually an app you can report potholes (and other ‘public malfunctions’). I once dit this and they first temporarily patched the pothole within a day (!) and then really fixed it within a week or two. And they even updated me on that on the app 😅

[ahmadghonym]

“Most people want to avoid hitting pedestrians and cyclists, unless you’re a pickup driver in Houston or something.” Couldn’t have described Houston better.

[aksfactory]

I'm an avid car enthusiant. I love the sound. I love the engineering. I love the thrill and adrenalin. I love piloting my car at my and car's limits. I love investing in my skills when it comes to fabricating professional quality bits and pieces for my car. I love the culture and the wonderful people I've met through sharing this hobby. I hate driving. I hate having to get in a car and having to sit through 4 traffic lights and 3 stop signs to get to the parts store, that is in a bike-able distance. I hate putting myself and my so beloved car at risk of getting t-boned and seriously injured every single day. I hate the feeling of being absolutely isolated from the society, sitting inside a tin can. I hate putting useless mileage on my car. I hate looking at the wasteland of asphalt. I hate having to share the road with someone who can murder me and my friends just because he/she had a bad day or didn't get enough sleep. I wouldn't mind paying higher tax for gas if i didn't have to waste it on doing day-to-day chores. I hate putting so many bicyclists and pedestrians at risk. I hate driving in the US.

[ralph]

As Dutch kids are used to cycle in traffic by themselves, they are more familiar with the 'rules of the road'. This helps when they become car drivers. In other countries learners have to concentrate on how to operate a car AND how to behave in traffic.

[bartvandeneeckhaut]

I frequently ride my bike in the Netherlands and I have to honestly say that the trafic management and spatial plannig of the Netherlands is amongst the best, if not 'the' best, in the world. And since I'm Belgian and it almost physically pains me to praise the Dutch, you can be sure I'm telling the truth..

[Jesyx]

"Hallo meneer de fotograaf" (Hello Mr. Photographer) at 0:05
That's adorable

[mgbroncos]

"People don't normally like to hit pedestrians unless you're a pick-up driver in Houston." Shots fired! Luckily he's facing felony charges after much public outrage.

[xonarofficial]

The traffic lights for bikes turning green while you're coming close to it is one of the most satisfying things :)

[CheetahNL]

Dutchie here. A couiple of years ago I was in Florida, and my wife wanted to go to a large grocery store. Only about 1 km away so we decided to walk. Big mistake! Nowhere to walk along the (a I know now) stroad, crossing the stroad while fearing for my life (because some sidewalk just ended), walking further and eventually reaching my destination. We decided to take a cab home because of the danger. I was amazed, but now it just makes sense why I was amazed in the first place.

[lonesnake]

We have 4 cars in my household, literally one for each person, not because we are “car enthusiasts” (although I do enjoy cars to an extent), but because it is the only way we can go to work/school in my asphalt garden of a city. I thought that was completely normal until your videos, suffice it to say I will be looking into learning some dutch lol

[Sporcle]

They say humor is a great way to raise awareness about an issue, especially one as absurd as car-centric traffic engineering, and your delivery was spot on. Thank you, NJB.

[Fluffy_Vizier]

Most of the asphalt used in the Netherlands is zoab (zeer open asfalt beton) meaning it's actually designed to let water through in the top layer flowing it to the sides. So potholes do happen, especially in winter on the snelweg, however, we tend to fix these in a timely fasion and overnight to not cause delays during the day. Something you can do with asphalt, but not with normal concrete.

Zoab has a huge safety benefit in the rain, you barely get that nasty splash up fog from the tires, improving visibility. This might even be worth a video.

[aj.arunkumar]

those people who designed netherland's infrastructure really deserve an applause from the world... we all come to know these stuff only because of youtube creators like you.. like seriously, this is real stuff and there is no way we can know these things from traditional media like tv.. i really appreciate your content thanks man!!!

[cmprodutions]

People are always confused when they find out that I am both a car enthusiast and a part of the #fuckcars movement. I like driving and other cars get in the way of my driving experience.

[AmsterdamBikeLife]

Lol the pothole you recorded at 12:02 has recently been fixed! I really hated that pothole when on the motorcycle, especially as it was in the left lane

[Eraesr]

Some thoughts no one will read:
I'm a motorcyclist myself and involve myself in online motorcyclist communities. There's a stark contrast between US dominated communities and Dutch communities. I think this is mostly a result of better road infrastructure and better driver etiquette. Riding a motorcycle is approached in a much more negative manner in the US than here in the Netherlands. It's considered too dangerous by many Americans. I think that riding a motorcycle in itself isn't (unacceptably) dangerous, but when you as a 20 year old ride your 1000cc supersport bike for the first time without proper training (and no, MSF is not a proper training) on a pothole stroad filled with angry, frustrated, impatient and poorly trained car drivers, then yeah, stuff tends to get a little hairy.

One thing I'd also like to remark is that whenever I see dashcam or GoPro footage of a road or traffic, 9 out of 10 times I immediately recognize it when it's recorded in The Netherlands. Not because I know the place, but there's something about Dutch roads that makes them very easily identifiable as Dutch. I think that's because of the way the road is designed and maintained but I can't exactly put my finger on it.

Oh yeah, one final thing about car enthusiasts The thing is, when people say they're car enthusiasts they don't mean being stuck in traffic in their middle class SUV's. They mean they like to oggle BMW M7-series and Porsche 911's and Lamborghini SomethingItalianSounding's. Saying you're a car enthusiast as an argument in favor of car centric design is just dumb.

[TheParkourFencer]

"They sell a lot of Audis here too" is such a fucking devastating call out because it's 100% true.

[acde]

A highlight point: Providing alternative transport options for people unwilling to drive is a great approach. Because not everyone has the talent to drive.