Survey Reveals That Houston is a City of “Diligent Drivers”
CONCORD, Mass.--Most Houston commuters (79 percent) are in the habit of leaving extra early just to be safe, according to a recent survey that revealed the city’s “driving personality.” The seven city survey was conducted by Concord-based TomTom Inc., the world’s leading provider of navigation solutions and digital maps.
Given their passion for punctuality and hankering for harmony on the road, it should come as no surprise that dense traffic and “road raging” drivers are among Houston’s top driving frustrations. If you’re wondering how these down-to-earth residents of Space City deal with these traffic frustrations, the driving personality survey results tells all. More than any other city surveyed, 77.1 percent of Houston residents calmly wait to take the next exit when they miss theirs, and 39.5 percent let drivers pass when they get cut off. Whether avoiding traffic the night of an Astros game or arriving at IAH a few minutes early, Houston commuters have certainly earned the title of “Diligent Drivers”.
Cities surveyed fell into three different “driving personality” categories:
Diligent Driver – Extremely conscientious drivers who consistently stick to the rules of the road
Neutral Navigator – A milder breed of drivers who take a steady, “middle-of-the-road” approach to driving and typically go with the flow
Courageous Commuter – Bold drivers who do what it takes to overcome the obstacles and complexities of daily driving
Houston was one of seven major U.S. cities to be surveyed on a number of typical driving scenarios to determine its unique reactions and distinct driving style.
Houston had solid scores when it came to diligent driving:
| 74.6% Change lanes when being tailgated | High Score: Los Angeles, 80.8% | ||||
| 27.8% Avoid heavy traffic hours at all costs | High Score: Los Angeles, 29.6% | ||||
| 83.9% Turn on a GPS device when navigating to a new destination | High Score: Los Angeles, 87.2% | ||||
| 60.5 % Drive 45 minutes to an hour for a work commute | High Score: Houston | ||||
| 30.7% Avoid honking and wait for drivers in front to notice a green light | High Score: Minneapolis, 36.6% |
“As Americans are spending more and more of their time on the road, driving personalities naturally emerge,” said Kendra Thornton, Travel Expert and Industry Publicist. “Through TomTom’s Driving Personality Survey, we are able to see how each city’s ‘driving personality’ directly relates to its unique lifestyle, landscape and culture.”
According to the survey, Houston drivers generally obey speed limits even when no one is watching. In fact, Houston had the lowest ranking among the seven cities surveyed for those who said they only pay attention to speed limits when they see a police officer.
Diligent Drivers are sensible planners who like to be prepared for any challenge the road has to offer. The TomTom Help Me! menu complements this driving personality as it includes information such as the nearest police station, hospital or car repair service center. It also allows the user to quickly identify their location for emergency assistance providers.
The seven cities surveyed include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York.
Readers can discover their own driving personality, by taking TomTom’s short quiz, at http://www.survey.com/tomtom.
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About TomTom
TomTom NV is the world’s leading provider of navigation solutions and digital maps. TomTom NV has over 3,300 employees working in four business units – TomTom, Tele Atlas, AUTO and WORK.
TomTom's products are developed with an emphasis on innovation, quality, ease of use, safety and value. TomTom's products include all-in-one navigation devices which enable customers to navigate right out of the box; these are the award-winning TomTom GO family, the TomTom XL and TomTom ONE ranges and the TomTom RIDER. Additionally, independent research proves that TomTom products have a significant positive effect on driving and road safety.
Tele Atlas delivers the digital maps and dynamic content that power some of the world’s most essential navigation and location-based services (LBS). Through a combination of its own products and partnerships, Tele Atlas offers digital map coverage of more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The AUTO business unit develops and sells navigation systems and services to car manufacturers and OEMs. WORK combines industry leading communication and smart navigation technology with leading edge tracking and tracing expertise.
TomTom NV was founded in 1991 in Amsterdam and has offices in Europe, North America, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. TomTom is listed at Euronext Amsterdam in The Netherlands. For more information, go to www.tomtom.com.