Drivers Spend 50 Hours Each Year Stuck in Traffic

The British division of Kia revealed today the company’s Cleaner Driving Report, which states that drivers spend more than two days each year stuck in traffic, a situation mostly affecting those commuting to work. Moreover, the average Brit spends 91 days of his/hers working life in standstill traffic, as they try to reach their work place.

The worst affected are those forced to use the A556. The 50,000 drivers who use the four-mile stretch of road each day collectively waste half a million hours sitting in queues each year.

“For many, driving to work is the only option – a lot of people need to use their car at work, while some live in areas where public transport just isn’t viable. Taking this on board, car manufacturers have a duty to ensure the cars that are on the road are as environmentally responsible as possible,” said Sue Mulcaster, spokesperson at Kia.

“By investing in green technology such as Intelligent Stop and Go (ISG), where the car’s engine switches off when stationary, the environmental impact of stop-start driving in heavy traffic is reduced, with fuel consumption and emissions significantly,” added Mulcaster.

Kia Motors study also found that:

• two-thirds (66 percent) of commuters admitted to speeding when the traffic clears to make up time
• 62 percent of drivers grow angry when they hit queues, with one in three commuters admitting having experienced ‘road rage’ in heavy traffic
• almost half (49 percent) say they’ve narrowly avoided a traffic-related accident
• one in five (19 percent) have suffered a bump or minor accident while driving to work
• 44 percent are regularly late for work due to traffic