Australians Find Driving to Work More Stressful Than Being at Work

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – Aug 30, 2011: A survey commissioned by Renault Australia has revealed that 83 per cent of Australian drivers find driving to work more stressful than being at work. This statistic rises to 90 per cent for those who commute more than one hour each day.

The Renault Latitude stress survey asked Australian drivers what elements outside and inside the car influenced their stress levels when driving.

“As expected the survey found the key causes of stress are traffic jams and gridlock (80%), drivers not indicating (73%) and parking in crowded car parks (53%). Other stressors included road noise (27%) and pedestrians and children around the car (34%),” said Chris Brown, Renault Marketing Director

“However, interestingly 71 per cent of Australian drivers indicated that their stress levels can also be influenced by factors within the car.”

25 per cent of drivers say that the lack of interior space added to stress, 38 per cent of drivers say that sitting in an uncomfortable seat for long periods of time is stressful and 35 per cent agreed that pollution and bad odours filtering into the car contributed to stress levels.

According to the survey the key alleviators of stress inside a car included more space (16%), leather seats with massage capabilities (25%), an air management system with filters (24%), and a top quality audio system (25%).

To further test these findings, Renault conducted an experiment with three ordinary Australian families to see if the Latitude can help alleviate the stresses associated with driving.

The Latitude Stress Test used facial recognition software to determine the levels of stress the families experienced, via changes to their expressions, whilst driving their own car versus driving the Renault Latitude.

“The goal of the experiment was to put Latitude to the test to see how its features could make your drive more relaxing. It had the desired effect, with the families clearly more at ease in the Renault Latitude.” said Chris Brown.