YOU’LL BE PLEASED TO LEARN that it’s not your imagination (or paranoia) that leads you to think that Australia is a stressful place to be a driver.
From poor road infrastructure to availability of electric charging points, driving stresses seem to be getting worse all the time. In fact, global searches for “stress while driving” have surged by more than 100 percent over the past 12 months.
Car insurance experts, Compare the Market, analysed various factors to reveal which countries are the most stressful for drivers.
And horror! Australia comes in at second place.
Australia ranks so far up the list partly to its high (some might say “usurious”) parking charges, averaging $A28.30 for two hours – twice as expensive as the US ($A13.88). It also rates 10th for searches relating to “stressful driving” with 2810 searches annually. The report also blames the country’s 130km/h maximum speed limit, but in reality, most of us have to deal with considerably lower speed limits, even with vast distances to cover.
We’re also not far behind when it comes to car thefts, either. The US ranks third at 291.3 per 100,000 while we have little to brag about at 210.2 per 100,000. Mind you, that compares very favourably with New Zealand’s almost incredible 954 per 100,000 (unless that’s an error, you wouldn’t want to park outdoors anywhere in the Land of the Long White Cloud).
More seriously, road fatalities per 100,000 are still of concern, especially in the US where the number of deaths is 14.2, compared to our (admittedly rising) annual road toll of 4.5. Stay off the roads in South Africa where 24.5 per thousand road deaths are recorded.
And if you’re thinking about switching to an EV, you may be interested to read that Australia has fewer electric car chargers than even New Zealand. There are just 298 chargers, compared to Italy’s 30,774, 16,687 in the US and even 1995 in Czechia.
All in all, Australia comes out quite badly on a number of criteria.
Commenting on the study, Adrian Taylor, Executive General Manager of General Insurance at Compare the Market AU said
“Driving can be a stressful experience, with so many things to consider for a safe and stress-free driving experience – however, it doesn’t help that many of these factors rely on the behaviour of other drivers, and the road infrastructure.”
“With this in mind, it’s important to make sure that your car insurance policy covers you for everything important to you, including theft and third-party damage. It’s important to compare car insurance to look for the right policy to suit your needs.”
But when it comes to fixing the problems, we have to wonder if anyone is listening.
The Top 10 Most Stressful Countries for Drivers:
Rank | Country | Avg Congestion (%) | Road Quality | Fatality Rate per 100k | Motor Thefts per 100k | 2hr Avg Parking Cost (€) | Electric Car Chargers | Stressful Driving Search Volume | Max Speed Limit (kph) | Total Score (Max 100) |
1 | Romania | 55 | 3 | 9.6 | 26.6 | 2.67 | 1,972 | 890 | 130 | 50.96 |
2 | Australia | 30 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 210.2 | 17.77 | 279 | 2,810 | 130 | 48.376 |
3 | United States | 23 | 5.5 | 14.2 | 291.3 | 8.71 | 16,687 | 10,100 | 137 | 48.337 |
4 | New Zealand | 28 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 954 | 8.16 | 298 | 680 | 110 | 48.137 |
5 | Italy | 29 | 4.4 | 5 | 213 | 4.77 | 30,774 | 15,810 | 130 | 46.711 |
6 | Bulgaria | 38 | 3.4 | 8.4 | 22.2 | 2.32 | 334 | 550 | 140 | 44.866 |
7 | Greece | 41 | 4.6 | 7.3 | 177.1 | 6.45 | 986 | 660 | 130 | 44.098 |
8 | South Africa | 27 | 4.5 | 24.5 | – | 1.24 | 35 | 4,020 | 120 | 43.694 |
9 | United Arab Emirates | 17 | 6 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 2.57 | 261 | 20,160 | 160 | 43.362 |
10 | Czechia | 31 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 33 | 2.51 | 1,995 | 3,800 | 150 | 43.227 |