Brits’ regular car journeys are the ‘journeys from hell’

Do you feel stressed out even before you get to work? Research by online insurer swiftcover.com reveals that one in eight British drivers (12%) find driving to work the most stressful regular journey they make. And three-quarters (74%) of them blame their journey from hell on the sheer volume of traffic.

Also at the top of the league table of most stressful regular journeys are the weekly trip to the supermarket (10%) and trips away on Britain’s roads, including Bank Holidays (10%).

Across all regular journeys, volume of traffic is again the main culprit for nearly two-thirds (64%) of drivers who get het up behind the wheel. Poor or slow driving by others is the second reason (45%) for grief, along with the dreaded hold-ups such as road works, deliveries or refuse collection, which accounts for four in ten (40%) tense drivers.

Craig Staniland, Director of Underwriting at swiftcover.com comments: “Gone are the days of driving for pleasure. Our roads are now busier than ever, so it’s no wonder people are finding these regular journeys so stressful. For most people driving can be a necessary evil.”

The type of road also influences our stress levels - a third (31%) of us blame a busy town centre road (such as Park Lane in London or the Stratford Road in Birmingham), 17% hate busy and/or slow moving urban motorways and 16% cite narrow country lanes.

Men find top three driving stress reasons worse than women

Interestingly, swiftcover.com’s research found that 67% of men cite traffic volumes as their main cause of stress compared to 61% of women, and over half (53%) of men get annoyed at someone else’s driving, compared to only 38% of women. Nearly half (45%) of men also find hold-ups really get their goat, while only 35% of women let this get to them.

How to de-stress: take a deep breath – and sing along

British drivers thankfully do try to keep their stress levels in check. swiftcover.com’s research found that nearly half (49%) of drivers say they let fresh air into the car to chill out, 44% listen to their favourite radio show, 41% make sure their sitting position is comfortable, and over a third (37%) sing along to music to calm down.

Men and women also tend to deal with stress in different ways. Women are much more likely to sing along to music than men (46% versus 28%), and men, on the other hand, prefer to rely on Sat Nav to stay in control (18% versus 11%).

Craig Staniland continues: “We all know it is virtually impossible to avoid our regular journey from hell but it’s good to see drivers are finding ways to stay calm. A little bit of planning, a few breaths of fresh air and listening to your favourite music or radio station seem to do the trick.”

“Keeping your cool will avoid unnecessary incidents too. And in any event, make sure you are not paying over the odds on car insurance. There are some great deals to be had online in minutes.”

Or de-stress by avoiding journeys all together too

An amazing 50% of us dislike driving in rush hour so much that we try to avoid it. Nearly half (48%) also try not to drive in adverse and dangerous weather conditions. A similar number (47%) cancel a journey if they’re not feeling well or when their petrol gauge is on red (45%), and a third (30%) if they haven’t made the journey before.

Men are less likely to avoid journeys to stay calm

Men are less likely to change plans, with only 18% trying to avoid a journey they haven’t made before, compared to nearly half (44%) of women. Bad weather also doesn’t stop men from driving - only 36% will cancel a journey compared to nearly twice as many women (61%). Women are also twice as likely to avoid driving in the dark to keep their stress levels down (32% versus 15%) and are nearly three times more likely to avoid driving on a motorway (24% versus 7%).

Could you give up your car and use public transport to avoid your journey from hell? Go to travelometer.co.uk to find out.