Tests that measured physiological stress markers in participants' saliva, showed that women suffered an 8.7 percent increase in stress from driving in traffic, while men suffered a staggering increase of 60 percent. Worringly, in the same tests 67 percent of women and 50 percent of men reported not feeling stressed 20 minutes after driving in traffic, when physiologically they were.
The research suggests that the effects of long-term exposure to stress chemicals include suppressed immune function, raised blood pressure and elevated blood sugar levels.
Health psychologist David Moxon who led the research said, "These findings make good evolutionary sense. Men, in particular, show a strong physiological 'fight or flight' response. The fact that they are not always aware of this could indicate that driving regularly in dense traffic could have a profound effect of their health."
A range of noticeable symptoms include dizziness, breathlessness, muscular aches and even chest pains, while behavioural symptoms include agitation and erratic driving.
To help them cope with traffic-induced stress, most drivers cope by listening to music while others talk to other passengers to ease the tension. But these vary by country and even by gender. Americans and Sweedes tend to talk on the phone to make better use of their time, while the Dutch prefer to comfort eat. The Irish prefer to take in their surroundings.
English speakers in general prefer to sing to themselves to reduce stress.
TomTom say this research proves that traffic has a massive impact on drivers, and society in general. TomTom is encouraging drivers to break free from traffic through its Break Free trade-in promotion, giving them up to €50 off a TomTom device with HD Traffic. Drivers can trade in any satnav - of any brand and any age- and benefit from TomTom HD Traffic, so they'll always know how long a journey will take. And if there is a quicker route, they'll get it immediately.
HD Traffic is TomTom's live traffic service. It delivers accurate traffic information straight to a compatible TomTom device every two minutes. This helps drivers steer clear of delays and to know exactly when they're due to arrive.
It is available in Ireland, the UK, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US. See www.routes.tomtom.com
