New Driver Disorder
Date: Thursday 17th November Ref: 60/05
Close to one in three (29 per cent) drivers found to suffer from newly recognised
disorder ‘Traffic Stress Syndrome’
Traffic jams are not only bad for your mood – they can also damage your health,
according to a new study from Direct Line.
‘The impact of traffic on drivers’ report – co-authored by health psychologist David
Moxon – identifies a new condition named Traffic Stress Syndrome (TSS), a form of
psychological anxiety that manifests itself in certain drivers while stuck in traffic.
According to the study, close to one in three drivers – nine million* UK motorists –
currently suffer from TSS and show symptoms of the condition after being held up in
traffic for as little as three to five minutes.
One in five (20 per cent) experience increased heart-rates and headaches (19 per
cent) and one in 10 endure sweaty palms (12 per cent). In more severe cases drivers
report nausea, dizziness (eight per cent) and stomach cramps (eight per cent) among
the symptoms experienced.
The impact of these symptoms along with the Direct Line research reveal a shocking
....cont/
picture of the full extent of TSS on driver behaviour. Loss of concentration and
hazardous driving brought about by the condition, have resulted in over two
million** accidents for TSS drivers during or following traffic jams.
Other more common effects of the motoring condition include anxiety, irritation and
heightened levels of anger.
The research by Direct Line additionally identifies the UK roads which experience
heavy traffic and where motorists are most likely to suffer TSS. The worst road for
TSS is topped rather unsurprisingly by the M25 South East (31 per cent), followed
by the M6 West Midlands (26 per cent) and the M25 Western Sector (25 per cent).
Direct Line spokeswoman, Emma Holyer, said:
“The findings are very worrying – with more vehicles than ever on British roads, driving has
inevitably become more stressful, and, as a result motorists are suffering. We would
encourage drivers to take deep and slow breaths and try to think about other things than the
jams when sitting in heavy traffic to avoid getting Traffic Stress Syndrome.”
Psychologist David Moxon who was part of the research team, described the
importance of the
....cont/
|
|
How clean is your car?
Esure warns of dangers for UK's 'too posh to wash' and 'too busy to bin' drivers. (03 November 2004) In the wake of Kim and Aggie's hit series' "Too Posh to Wash" and "How Clean is your House?", new research from...read more
|
findings:
“TSS is a form of stress that manifests itself in frustrated drivers – there is evidence to
suggest that chronic TSS can be detrimental to both the physical and mental health of the
motorist.”
Direct Line’s top tips for sufferers of TSS compiled by David Moxon:
1. Take deep and slow breaths.
2. Listen to calming or relaxing music.
3. Use cognitive distraction tasks such as thinking of loved ones.
4. If you have a recycle button on your air con use it – this will stop exhaust fumes.
from the traffic jam coming back into your car.
5. Place some aroma-oil on a tissue and keep it in the cabin to fragrance your car
Notes:
The research was carried out on behalf of Direct Line motor insurance by YouGov. A
nationally representative sample of 1,792 UK drivers were questioned online between 4th to 6th
October 2005.
In addition to other demographic questions, subjects answered 10 questions to measure
anxiety and aggression levels, each with four scaled responses. The study followed standard
procedure for psychological research. From this research a simple projective...cont/
Poor sighted brits
1 November 2005 POOR SIGHTED BRITS CAUSING HAVOC ON NATION'S ROADS. Thousands of motorists with poor eyesight are endangering Britain’s road users by failing to wear their glasses or contact lenses, according...read more
|
technique was
developed. This comprised four key words that were designed to elicit unconscious motives
and show an ‘individuals proneness’ to TSS. This methodology is used for the majority of
studies of this nature, which need to be robust enough to pass the peer-review process required
for the publication of scientific papers.
*There are 33.8 million drivers in the UK (Census data, 2001) and according to the YouGov
findings 99 per cent of motorists have been stuck in traffic and 29 per cent of those of have
been stuck in traffic suffer from TSS. 0.99 x 33,809,493 = 33,471,398. 0.29 x 33,809,493=
9,804,752.
TOP TEN LIST OF ROADS MOTORISTS HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAFFIC-JAMS.
(VOTED BY DRIVERS)
- M25 South East (31 per cent)
- M6 West Midlands (26 per cent)
- M25 Western Sector (25 per cent)
- M25 Northern Sector (25 per cent)
- M6 North Midlands (22 per cent)
- M5 Bristol area (21 per cent)
- M1 East Midlands (21 per cent)
- M1 Home Counties (19 per cent)
- M60 Manchester (16 per cent)
- M4 Thames Valley (16 per cent)
