The traffic situations that give us nightmares

There is consensus among Swedish motorists about which traffic situations create the greatest feeling of uncertainty and discomfort.

Backing with trailer most sweaty

"Can you back up with a trailer!?" It's a question that the artist duo Hooja and DJ Mårdhund usually shout to the audience before their performances. And there is good reason for that. For many people, backing up with a trailer is an absolute nightmare. Fully one in three (36%) consider it the most challenging part of driving.

- It hardly comes as a surprise that reversing with a trailer tops the list of which moments we think are the most difficult, says our sales manager Daniel Odsberg. Unfortunately, I think the mere thought of having to reverse puts many people off using a trailer at all. But who knows, maybe it will look different if we conduct the same survey again in a few years. With Hooja, it has almost become a folk sport.

More women (41%) than men (32%) experience reversing with a trailer as the most difficult. But there are also differences around the country, where residents of larger cities find this more troublesome: 39 percent in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö versus 34 percent in other parts of the country. Gothenburgers find it the most difficult to reverse with a trailer (45%), while residents of Mellersta Norrland, in the counties of Jämtland and Västerbotten, have a significantly more relaxed attitude to the whole thing (25%).

Driving in the dark a challenge - for the elderly

In second place is driving after dark (20%), closely followed by pocket parking (15%). Apart from the fact that even in these situations the men have greater self-confidence, it is mainly differences between the age groups that stand out. Few 18-34-year-olds find it particularly challenging to drive in the dark (9%), but even more 56-79-year-olds (32%). However, the situation is the opposite when it comes to pocket parking. Only 7 percent of those aged 56-79 consider this to be the most difficult moment behind the wheel, compared to fully 25 percent of those aged 18-34.

- Driving in the dark is something that generally becomes more challenging with age, as both visual acuity and reaction ability deteriorate as we age. On the other hand, age often means more experience, which can make older drivers safer in other traffic situations, especially those that require more technical skill. We see this in the results for pocket parking, but also starting on hills and dealing with slippery roads, says Odsberg.

Driving in winter road conditions (8%) ranks as the fourth most demanding situation, while driving in the rain (6%) comes in fifth. Hill starts (1%) and overtaking (1%) are at the bottom of the list.

Question: What do you think is the hardest thing about driving?

About the survey
The survey was conducted in Kantar Sifo's web panel during the period 12–16 January 2023. A total of 1,320 people aged 18-79 who use a car were interviewed. The web panel is nationally representative recruited based on random selection. There is no self-recruitment in Sifo's web panel.