The behavioural responses of sheep to driving events, and the relationship between driver behaviour and driving events were examined, since driving style can have a large impact on the welfare of animals by affecting risk of injury and disturbing their ability to rest. Two drivers drove groups of 10 sheep on a variety of roads, as the driver, the driver’s view of the road, the speedometer, and the sheep were video recorded. Differences in driving style affected the frequency of losses of balance by the sheep slightly, and affected the degree of disturbance to the sheep’s ability to rest during the journey more significantly. Falls were rare, although losses of balance were common. Driving events such as acceleration, braking, stopping, cornering, gear changes, or uneven road surfaces may have caused about 80 % of losses of balance. Only about 22 % of driving events preceded a loss of balance. Driving events may also have been responsible for many interruptions to lying behaviour and rumination. There were fewer losses of balance, more lying down, more rumination and fewer disturbances to the sheep when the driver was travelling on a motorway compared with a single carriageway. The results of this study provide evidence that would promote careful driving as a means of ensuring animal welfare in-transit for future driver training and education. A number of factors influenced by the driver of the vehicle may affect the quality of the journey experienced by sheep during transport.