The Lake District of North West England is nice, so is much of the Scottish Highlands.

Hope you get the chance to visit there at some time.

.....................and the beer is cheaper than in Scandinavia

 

Apart from that, the overall driving standard is a lot worse in the southern parts of the UK than it is in the rest of northern europe.
Any monkey can get a license here..

The was a program on TV here a while back about people with a fear of motorways. The speed frightened them!
These where people holding a valid license, believe it or not.

Changing over would result in a full blown disaster.

 

You are spoilt, my friend. You urgently need a driving trip to Portugal, Turkey or the South of Italy to reset your standards.

 

Well it wasn't plain sailing in Sweden either with accident rates (allowing for other variables) increasing.

ABC

 

Hence the word 'northern' in there.

I disagree with you on Italy though. Yes, they drive fast, but it is all extremely intiutive.
I'd rather come across an Italian at night on an Autobahn than an Englishman though. (present company excluded obviously, I think it is safe to say that members here are likely to be above average drivers.)

For example, I employ about 25 HGV drivers of 8 different nationalities at the moment. None of which are english, eventhough 40% of the work is continent-UK.
England is not a nation of drivers. For an englishman driving a truck is a job, not a profession.

For a bit of generalising fun:

-the English drive too slow and in the wrong lane.
-the French don't get out of the fast lane when they are supposed to, just to p*ss you off.
-the Belgians go INTO the fast lane, just as you are about to fly pass them, just to p*ss you off.
-the Dutch like to make rude gestures when you overtake them, regardless if they are breaking the speed limit themselves.
-the Germans are so disciplined, they slam the brakes on from 240 to 60 at even the hint of roadworks.
-the Italians stop for nothing.
-the Spanish, Portugese and Greeks are completely unaware they are even IN a car.
-the Americans.. 99% of them know for a fact they are above average drivers. Clueless is the word I think.
-the Japanese all take the train (which works btw). LHD and RHD are mixed, which doesn't matter cause traffic is one big queue anyway.

As a lover of cars, driving and international travel, Italy and Germany are my most favourite countries to drive around in.

Once again, just a bit of generalising fun.

 

Ah, well, hence my reference to Southern Italy there.

It's not the speed. It's the fact that - as you point out - they stop for nothing. In Milan a red traffic light means "stop". Around Rome, a red light means "you should stop, and see if anyone else is there". By the time you have reached Naples, whatever colour the light is, it's purely advisory. In Catania, they will honk at you if you stop at a red traffic light (true!) - even if there's other cars passing. However, average speed is higher in the North than in the South!

Love the other sterotypes. Unfortunately true...