Year of your life wasted in traffic jams

Motorists waste more than a year of their lives not moving on their daily commute to work, a new study from Continental Tyres concludes.

This adds up to over 100 million lost working days every year for the 18 million workers in the UK who commute by car. With the average work commute covering an average of 28 miles, the average journey to work and home again takes 41 minutes with 12 minutes of this spent in jams and delays.  This up to 5½ working days lost every year for each motorist or 58 working weeks during a lifetime.

The study of 2,000  drivers for Continental Tyres established the routine and habits of commuters as well as their preferences.

Tim Bailey, head of safety at Continental Tyres said: “People are clearly concerned about congestion and rising fuel costs, but using the car remains the preferred option for most.

“With 63 per cent of workers using their car on at least four of five days in the working week, planners and government need to recognise that the morning and evening rush-hour is going to be a feature of life in Britain for some time to come.

“For individuals it means frustration but for the economy as a whole it means lost productivity and increased emissions, so it remains a key issue to tackle.”

However, there is some hope for drivers, with 14 per cent of commuters found to be car-sharing, helping to reduce congestion. With drivers desperate to make their commutes to work easier, congestion and a lack of available parking were found to be the biggest concern that prompted motorist to try and find alternative ways to get to work.

The environmental impact of motoring is a factor when workers decide how they commute however it only ranked as the fourth most important consideration. Half of all Brits say they will leave their car at home if fuel costs rise further, however 45 per cent of those using public transport now would switch to their car if petrol prices drop.

Just over half (51 per cent) of the respondents identified negative ways in which their commute affected their performance at work citing issues like feeling stressed and lacking energy due to delays.

See also:

• Congested roads named leading cause of city stress
  May 16, 2012
• Report reveals emotional and financial cost of congestion
  December 5, 2011
• Business and commercial drivers to aid congestion
  October 27, 2010
• Government and industry work to quell congestion problems
  April 30, 2012
• Manchester worst for rush hour congestion
  January 30, 2012
• Continental prepares specialised tyre for EV market
  January 5, 2012
• DfT launches biggest review into traffic signs for 40 years
  October 14, 2011
• Opinion divided over London’s lane rental proposal
  September 5, 2011
• Congestion expected to rise as the dreaded school run returns
  September 5, 2011
• 14% of motorists are amber gamblers
  August 19, 2011

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