Romania has been ranked as the most stressful country in the world to drive in, according to a survey published by Australian company Compare the Market.
The study praises Romania for “its stunning mountain views, medieval fortresses, and local culture,” but adds that “truly dreadful roads and drivers” give it a score of 51 out of 100 in our ranking.
Romania has the worst percentage of congestion out of any country we analyzed. At 55%, that’s 25% more than Australia (29.9%) and well over double that of the United States (22.7%).
Add to this a low road-quality rating of just 3 out of 7 and it would appear people are going nowhere fast in this country – despite the maximum speed limit being 130km/h. Romania also has the 4th highest fatality rate per 100,000 (9.6) in the world.
Australia comes second for stressful driving with a score of 48 out of 100.
It came top of the list for parking costs per 2 hours at $28.30 AUD, well over double that of the next country, the US ($13.88).
It placed 10th overall for stressful driving searches at 2,810 per year, showing just how conscious people are about driving. ustralia also has few electric car charging stations, sitting at 27th place for electric car chargers, which is a source of stress for the growing EV market.
However, Australia didn’t score quite so highly in other areas. For example, Australia placed middle of the road for both congestion and road fatalities per 100,000 at 29.9% and 4.5 out of 7 respectively.
Next came the United States, best known for rush hour traffic and extensive highway network. It scoring a similar point total as Australia at 48 out of 100/
The hectic nature of many of America’s roads has resulted in the US placing 2nd for road fatalities per 100,000, sitting at 14.2, only being beaten by South Africa’s 24.5. The US is also the 3rd worst place on our list for car thefts per 100,000 at 291.3.
Even parking is surprisingly expensive in the states, with 2 hours costing motorists an average of $13.88, putting America 2nd in this category, while also coming 4th overall for stressful driving searches per year (10,100).
Indeed, what saves America from ranking higher are its better road quality, high number of electric car chargers, and surprisingly, its lower-than-average congestion percentage.
New Zealand ranks as the fourth most stressful country to drive in, with a score of 48.137 out of 100. New Zealand roads place 7th overall with a rating of 4.5 out of 7, as well as having a staggering number of motor thefts per 100,000 people at 954, putting it 1st in this category.
Parking prices aren’t much better here either, with an average 2-hour stay costing New Zealand drivers $13.01 AUD.
Last in the list of five is popular holiday destinations – Italy. Despite being well-regarded as a must-visit country for many people, it has a well-earned reputation for stressful driving, scoring an unenviable 46 points out of 100 using our factors.
For one thing, even though Italy sees countless tourists visiting each year, it has some of the worst roads on our list overall, scoring 4.4 out of 7 and placing joint 6th, while also being 7th for car thefts per 100,000 at bang on 213.
Car insurance comparison experts at Compare the Market AU analyzed various factors, including electric charger availability, average congestion, and accident rates, to reveal the most stressful countries for drivers, and Romania took the top spot. At the other end of the ranking, the Netherlands took the stress-free crown.
WHO to promote safe driving in Romania where 1000s die in traffic accidents every year
