Most Stressful Country To Be A Learner Driver

Learning to drive can be a stressful and anxiety-inducing experience for anyone. Getting behind the wheel is a high-pressure situation, especially when it’s all so new to you and it can be easy to feel out of your depth.

All manner of things can affect how easy the process is, from the safety and congestion of the roads to the costs involved with things such as fuel and buying your first car.

But where do learner drivers have things the toughest? We’ve analyzed these factors and more in a number of countries around the world to see where are the most stressful for learners, and where you’re more likely to ace your driving test.

We ranked each country on the following four factors: congestion, road traffic deaths, registered vehicles, and road quality score. We gave each a normalized score out of 10 before taking an average across all four scores.

1. Romania

Romania scored 2.38 out of 10 in terms of learning to drive. The country faces significant challenges with road safety, having a road traffic death rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people. Additionally, Romania’s road infrastructure quality is extremely low, with a score of 2.96 out of 100. The country also experiences high congestion at 48%, making it the most stressful environment for learner drivers. These factors contribute to the overall difficulty in learning to drive in Romania.

2. Poland

Second is Poland, with a score of 2.50 out of 10. The country has a moderate number of vehicles on the roads, approximately 67,100 per 100,000 people. Poland faces challenges with road safety, having a road traffic death rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people. The road quality in Poland is rated at 4.14 out of 100, and the congestion level of 36.67% further complicates the driving experience.

3. Hungary

Hungary also scored 2.86 out of 10. The country’s road infrastructure quality is relatively low, with a score of 3.89 out of 100. Hungary has a road traffic death rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people, and the country experiences high traffic congestion at 46%, making learning to drive a challenging experience.

Most Stressful Country To Be A Learner Driver

What is Congestion?

Congestion refers to the overcrowding of vehicles on the road, leading to slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. High congestion levels mean that the average journey in major cities takes significantly longer than it would under free-flow conditions. This can make learning to drive particularly challenging due to the constant stopping and starting in traffic, which can hinder concentration and smooth driving practice.

Congestion – Mexico (52%)

When learning to drive, you want your lessons and test to be as smooth as possible, and constant stopping and starting in traffic can make concentrating on the task at hand a lot harder. Of the countries we looked at, Mexico had the highest level of traffic congestion, with a score of 52%, which means that the average journey in the country’s major cities takes 52% longer than it would do in free-flow conditions.

Road traffic deaths – Saudi Arabia (18.5 per 100,000 people)

Being safe on the road is the number one concern for everyone, especially learners. The worst country on our list for the safety of its drivers is Saudi Arabia, where there are 18.5 annual road traffic deaths per 100,000 people. Road accidents remain a significant concern in Saudi Arabia.

Registered vehicles – Finland (95,000 per 100,000 people)

While first and foremost you have to focus on your own actions as a learner driver, it’s also important to be aware of other road users. The country that has the highest proportion of vehicles on the road was Finland, with 95,000 per 100,000 people.

Road quality score – Romania (2.96 out of 100)

As well as being the lowest scoring country overall, Romania had the worst score when it came to the quality of road infrastructure in the country. While major urban streets are in fairly good condition in Romania, the issue lies with smaller secondary roads, which often have poor lighting and narrow, unmarked lanes.

Best Countries for Learner Drivers

At the other end of the spectrum, the best countries for learning to drive include:

Singapore (8.87 out of 10) – Despite moderate congestion of 29%, Singapore excels with excellent road quality (6.45/100) and the lowest road traffic death rate among analyzed countries at just 1.9 per 100,000 people.

Sweden (8.28 out of 10) – With low congestion (22%), a low death rate (2.1 per 100,000), and good road quality (5.57/100), Sweden provides an excellent environment for learner drivers.

Netherlands and Denmark (7.56 out of 10 each) – Both countries offer strong road infrastructure, low death rates (3.4 and 2.3 per 100,000 respectively), and manageable congestion levels.

Methodology

We ranked each country on the following four factors, giving each a normalized score out of 10 for each, before taking an average across all four scores.

Congestion

The congestion level according to TomTom’s 2024 Traffic Index. This percentage shows the additional time that a journey would take in each city when compared to free-flow conditions.

Road traffic deaths

The mortality caused by road traffic injury (per 100,000 population) according to the World Population Review.

Registered vehicles

The number of registered vehicles (per 100,000 population) according to the World Population Review.

Road quality score

The quality of road infrastructure scores out of 100 according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report.

Download by the link: The Most Stressful Countries For The Learner Drivers 2023 Report

The Most Stressful Country To Be A Learner Driver 2024 Report