I noticed the safe road culture in Norway back in 1993, on a bicycle trip from Kilpisjärvi to Tromsø and back. Even the fully loaded ore trucks gave plenty of way, moving clearly to the other lane when passing us bicyclists.
That's easier if the only other vehicles are on the horizon
Less easy in London, Palermo, ...
Actually, the ore truck traffic was quite heavy part of the way, and they did drive fast on those not-so-wide roads.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that the altitude difference between Kilpisjärvi, Finland and Skibotn, Norway, is about 550 m; distance is about 50 km.
The view during the descent, including the biome change, is amazing, though. I admit, me and my friends took the bus back, instead of trying to pedal
that uphill.
I obtained two certificates attesting to my travel north of the Arctic Circle.
I was born well north of the Arctic Circle, around latitude 68°N, but had already moved to Helsinki by that time. The difference in road culture between Norway and Finland was notable, even though Finnish roads aren't dangerous per se, and weren't back then either.
Here in Helsinki, at pedestrian crossings where there are no traffic lights, about half of the drivers assume pedestrians will stop and wait, even though the law says the opposite should happen. I live on a residential street with 30 km/h (20 MPH) speed limit, and some drivers do like to show their 'displeasure' when they have to slow down to let pedestrians cross. Luckily I look like an angry potato, so a quick evil eye tends to give them the heebie-jeebies back.
I don't drive, myself, though, so my viewpoint is skewed. I must say that some cyclists here have a death wish: I've seen a cyclist take a four-lane crossing diagonally against a red light during rush hour (Haapaniemenkatu – Sörnäisten rantatie).. and a lot of pedestrians really don't perceive anything around them, their face glued to their cellphones, or just talking to someone else and not watching at all where they are going. So maybe it's cultural? I think it might be.