Study shows: Belgian is most stressed motorist in Europe

Now that the corona measures are slowly disappearing from our lives, we are all going back on the road more often. This means that we end up in traffic jams again, and that is accompanied by the necessary stress. More stress than elsewhere, as it turns out, because the annual barometer ‘Responsible Driving’ by the Fondation Vinci shows that the Belgian is the leader in the field of traffic frustrations.

The Eternal Direction Indicator

According to that survey, less than half of Belgian drivers are stress-free behind the wheel: barely 47 percent. The rest therefore experience frustration in traffic, and that could well be the cause and the result of the other findings that emerge from that research. For example, 63 percent of the respondents do not slow down enough when there are road works, one in five sometimes parks loose on a bicycle path and we only leave the Spaniards and Greeks behind when it comes to excessive honking. In addition, just over half fail to master the use of the turn signal, something that emerged earlier this year as one of the most frustrating mistakes in traffic.

The Fondation Vinci annually organizes such a survey, in which drivers from 11 European countries are examined. So we Belgians came out on top of the class, and that’s not the first time. Also last year we finished in 11th place, and then a striking trend emerged in the main reasons for breaking the rules. For example, 60 percent indicated that the Belgian traffic rules are often not coherent enough.