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Australia, second most stressful place in the world to drive

Insurers says congestion levels, road quality, parking availability and other factors make these countries the most stressful ones for road users, with Australia high on the list.

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Australia is the second most stressful place in the world to drive, according to insurance experts.

The findings from insurance comparison outfit Compare the Market took into account a wide variety of road-stress factors such as congestion, road quality, parking costs, fatality rate, motor thefts, electric vehicle chargers, maximum speed limits and online searches for ‘stressful driving’ to decide Australia’s potholed roads and angry drivers put us in second place only to Romania as more stressful.

But what makes driving in Australia so stressful? With a score of 48 out of 100 - just three less than first-placed Romania - Australia came to the top of the list as the most expensive in the world for parking. Two hours of parking costs $28.30 AUD, well over double that of the next-placed country, the USA ($13.88 AUD).

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We placed 10th overall for online searches about stressful driving at 2,810 per year (the Romanians only made 890 searches per year on the topic!). The growing number of EV and hybrid drivers also have cause to be stressed in Australia, with our number of EV charging stations ranked at 27th place in the world.

However, it wasn’t all bad as we placed middle-of-the-road for congestion (29.9 per cent) and road fatalities per 100,000 at 4.5 out of 7 on the index. America’s third placing for car theft in the world was far worse than ours, though its EV chargers are far more plentiful.

So what makes first-placed Romania such a stressful country to drive in? Its congestion is the worst that was analysed at 55 per cent and the low road quality rating of just three out of seven also added stress for drivers. Romania also has the fourth highest road fatality rate per 100,000 at 9.6.

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The top 5 most stressful places in the world to drive:

  1. Romania
  2. Australia
  3. United States
  4. New Zealand
  5. Italy

Compare the Market accompanied its findings with tips for combatting stress including deep breathing, music, better planning and regular breaks.

“At the end of the day, whether we’re driving the familiar streets of our hometown or the confusing maze of a brand-new city, it’s important to remember that everyone is in the same boat and everyone on the road has a responsibility to drive safe,’ said Adrian Taylor, Executive General Manager of General Insurance at Compare the Market.

Do you agree with this list, or is there somewhere more stressful to drive? Let us know in the comments below.

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