What that traffic jam just cost you

Last month, traffic and navigation provider, TomTom, released its 2011 South African Traffic Survey results, which found that traffic jams are far more than simply a nuisance in SA. According to the report, SA companies lose billions of Rands every year, thanks to time wastage and demotivation caused by sitting in traffic. It found that 78% of the 3.8 million drivers on Johannesburg roads experience ‘severe traffic jams’ everyday on their work commute. Of these, 10% are forced to cancel meetings, and in excess of 40% are late for work, while 75% of this group experienced “high levels of stress during time spent in traffic.” Across the country, 25% of drivers experience 45 minutes or more time in traffic. Not surprisingly, Gautengers have it worse. The report found that 33% of drivers in Gauteng experience at least 45 minutes of traffic. Companies lost around R 1.1 Billion per month due to time wasted in traffic on a daily basis Using this data, the researchers calculated that companies lose R291.00 per employee per month, due to time wasted in traffic on a daily basis - around R1.1 Billion per month*. But its not just the time out of the office that is problematic. The report found that workers exposed to traffic on a daily basis, experience a 64% increase in general stress levels. Respondents surveyed rated ‘hatred’ as their most experienced emotion during a period of being stuck in a traffic jam (28%), which was followed by ‘irritation or frustration’ (14%) and ‘tension or stress’ (13%). And, depending on your gender, you might be more at risk of feeling stressed by traffic. Independent tests quoted by TomTom, measured physiological stress markers in participants’ saliva, to determine gender differences in traffic related stress. Interestingly, women suffered an 8.7% increase in stress from driving in traffic, whilst men suffered a staggering increase of 60%. In the same tests, 67% of women and 50% of men reported not feeling stressed 20 minutes after driving in traffic, when physiologically, they still were stressed. The research goes on to suggest that the effects of long-term exposure to stress chemicals include suppressed immune function, raised blood pressure and elevated blood sugar levels. All of which points to unhappy employees and could impact on future health – meaning more sick days. The study also found that in order to deal with traffic-induced stress, drivers have developed a number of coping strategies. 82% of drivers surveyed listen to music, whilst 21% talk to other passengers in order to pass the time and ease the tension. And coping strategies vary by country and gender. The Americans (38%) and the Swedish (39%) tend to talk on the phone to make better use of their time, whilst the Dutch prefer to comfort eat (14%). English speakers in general, prefer to sing to themselves to reduce stress (US: 20%, UK: 19% and SA: 16%). And then there is the environmental cost. When respondents were asked what they thought the environmental impact would be if traffic was reduced by 15%, researchers found that: 96% of drivers thought this would have a positive effect and reduce air pollution; 81% thought this would have a positive effect on noise pollution and 74% of drivers thought it would have a positive effect on global warming. So how can all of this research help you? TomTom believes that with its products and services that allow realtime traffic information updates, drivers can avoid jams as far as possible. The collective effort of multiple drivers doing so, they explain: “will be able to help roads flow more effectively, reducing the journey times for all commuters.” The 2011 TomTom Traffic Survey includes the participation of 962 respondents over the age of 18, all of whom currently live in South Africa. The results were accumulated over the months of November 2010 to January 2011.

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