What road rage in city traffic? AutoInformed is shocked that “commuting by cursing” is going on.
A survey of auto commuters with the average commuting time totaling 21-23 minutes nationwide – much longer in the five cities analyzed – commuters aim to make the most of their time in the car with 79% designating their commute for me-time and relaxation.
However, more than a third (38% percent) of commuters admit to being likely to swear at other drivers when experiencing road rage. Close to half of Washington D.C.’s commuters (49%) admitted to “commuting by cussing,” 46% in Chicago and 45% in Los Angeles.
“With the vast majority of commuters traveling by car, it’s important to have a vehicle that’s not only safe and reliable but comfortable too,” said Jenni Newman, editor-in-chief of Cars.com
Forty percent of commuters love driving and being in their car, which was echoed by commuters in Chicago (40%) and Houston (40%) who claim they’re content. However, not all cities are alike: a quarter of Los Angeles commuters (26%) are stressed behind the wheel, and nearly a quarter in Washington, D.C. admitted to being annoyed or angry (23%) and fatigued (24%) compared to 15% and 13% nationally. New York City was absent from the survey, perhaps because driver attitudes there are beyond publishing.
City Attitudes
The Cars.com survey claims driving attitudes and behaviors vary depending on the area of the country:
- Atlanta Brings the Southern Hospitality with an Edge: Atlanta’s commuters are most likely to drink iced tea and least likely to be annoyed or angry behind the wheel compared to the other four cities surveyed. However, Atlanta drivers are most likely to ignore speed limits and most likely to text while driving.
- LA’s Road Warriors: The city’ f angels is anything but as survey respondents hate their commute the most and are most likely to be stressed while driving. The city also ranks worst for commuter friendliness, commuting time (tied with Washington, D.C.) and congestion. Notably, Los Angeles residents are most likely to give up their vehicle for an autonomous car (41% compared to 28% nationally).
- Houston’s Car Time is Me-Time: Houstonians often feel content while driving and think their fellow drivers are courteous. They spend their time in the car eating and drinking and listening to audiobooks. Commuters admit to being distracted by their smartphone (even shop) and picking their nose!
- Chicago’s Zen Commuters: Like Houstonians, Chicago commuters feel content and happy when driving. In fact, they’re most likely to be “zoned out” or daydreaming while driving. They have one of the best commutes of the five cities in terms of congestion and traffic, and spend their drives singing, listening to music and drinking coffee.
- Washington, D.C.’s Cranky Commuters: D.C. commuters are most likely to feel annoyed, angry and exhausted when driving, and more often take out their frustrations by swearing. Their commutes are long (tied with Los Angeles), so D.C. commuters use the time to catch up on work, with 20 percent admitting to reading on their smart device while driving compared to just seven percent nationally.
Survey
Cars.com commissioned a quantitative online survey in April 2018 that looked at national and regional behaviors of commuters, such as what bad habits they exhibit on their drive, the types of activities they perform while commuting, etc. A total of 1,636 responses where collected between April 5-7, 2018 which comprised of a national sample with the remaining evenly distributed among five metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.
