Waze: Costa Rica among the world’s worst countries to drive

The popular navigation smartphone app Waze listed Costa Rica as the 10th worst country in the world to drive a vehicle in its first Global Driver Satisfaction Index, released Thursday.

El Salvador is the worst country for drivers, according to Waze, followed by Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Romania, Indonesia, Panama, Philippines and Costa Rica.

The list is heavy on Latin American countries due to the frequency and severity of traffic jams, lack of driver services, and poor road infrastructure, according to Waze.

Waze evaluated the driving experience of 50 million users in 32 countries and 167 metro areas for the index. The index assigns countries and cities a single numerical score, from satisfying (10) to miserable (1).

Costa Rica scored 4.5 points while El Salvador obtained 2.1 points. In Latin America, Argentina ranked as the best country to drive in with 7 points, followed by Mexico with 6 points.

The evaluation took into account six factors, including traffic level by frequency and severity of traffic jams; road quality and infrastructure; driver safety based on accidents; road hazards and weather; and driver services, like access to gas stations and easy parking. It also looked at socioeconomic factors, including access to cars and impact of gas prices, and finally the “Wazeyness,” or the level of helpfulness and happiness within the Waze community.

The 10 countries that offer the best conditions and best driving experience for their drivers are the Netherlands, Latvia, USA, Sweden, Czech Republic, Belgium, France, Italy, Hungary and Slovakia.