Laois most stressful place for drivers according to research
New research reveals Laois is the most stressful Irish county for drivers
New research from SNAP, the leading digital solutions provider for international freight mobility, has revealed the most stressful European cities to drive in.
Various factors can contribute to stressful conditions for drivers, including congestion, unpredictable traffic, narrow streets, and inconsistent road signage.
SNAP analyzed over 14 million geotagged, driving-related social media posts from 150 European cities and every Irish county in 2025, based on multilingual stress-related language to calculate the percentage of posts expressing stress for each city.
Laois county, home to a significant section of the M7 commuter route, topped the list with 75.3% of posts indicating stress about driving. This aligns with the heavy car dependency in the area, with 73% of commuters in the county travelling by private car, according to Laois County Council.
Laois was followed by Leitrim (75%) and Tipperary (67.7%).
The 10 most stressful Irish counties for drivers are:
County % of stressed social posts about driving
| 1. Laois | 75.3 |
| 2. Leitrim | 75.0 |
| 3. Tipperary | 67.7 |
| 4. Wexford | 64.9 |
| 5. Meath | 63.5 |
| 6. Wicklow | 63.0 |
| 7. Roscommon | 62.3 |
| 8. Louth | 61.5 |
| 9. Westmeath | 60.0 |
| 10. Limerick | 59.5 |
SNAP’s research shows the least stressful counties to drive in are Carlow (25%), Longford (41.7%) and Donegal (49.5%.)
Stress behind the wheel endangers both the driver and the public; indeed, research from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute indicates that driving while angry, sad, or agitated makes a crash ten times more likely than at baseline.
Matthew Bellamy, managing director at SNAP commented on the findings:
“This research highlights how driving in certain areas can affect driver wellbeing and confidence.
“Driver stress can be exacerbated by various factors like narrow roads, congestion and unclear signage. With stress scores in Ireland notably high, the figures highlight persistent challenges for drivers in the country, and specifically in these counties.
It’s widely acknowledged that stress can contribute to accident rates, so it’s important to raise awareness about areas that pose higher stress levels so that drivers can be informed when planning their journeys.”
To find out more about stress factors for drivers across Europe click here.