Drivers most likely to be affected by TSS are blue collar workers

“Traffic jams are not only bad for your mood – they can also damage your health”

You are late leaving the office for a business meeting; you are driving on the limit in an attempt to reduce journey time; you then encounter a traffic jam; your heart rate increases; the palms of your hands start to sweat and you may start to suffer from stomach cramps. You are suffering from traffic stress syndrome (TSS).

Traffic jams are not only bad for your mood – they can also damage your health – with almost a third of drivers found to be suffering from the newly recognised disorder known as TSS. Breakthrough research reveals that the syndrome – a result of the combination of the effects of symptoms associated with anxiety and aggression – occurs within three-and-a-half-minutes on average in TSS sufferers. In non-suffers it took on average 13½ minutes for drivers to become stressed and frustrated about being in a queue.

According to a study conducted by health psychologist David Moxon, head of psychology at Peterborough Regional College, 9.8 million drivers in the UK suffer from TSS and show symptoms after being held up in traffic for three to five minutes. Drivers most likely to be affected are blue collar workers, with milder forms of TSS being associated with the professional classes. Mr Moxon says: “TSS will kick-in after the same amount of time, but in not such a severe way.” The impact of TSS has a significant impact on driver behaviour, with a loss of concentration and hazardous driving being brought on by the condition, resulting in more than two million crashes during or following traffic jams.

Mr Moxon explains: “Traffic jams create a timebomb phenomenon for TSS sufferers. They will typically accelerate rapidly away from a hold-up and minutes later they will be in an accident. They will ‘rip’ their vehicle through the gears, floor the accelerator and then have a rear-end shunt.”

Almost 1,800 UK drivers were involved in the research, commissioned by Direct Line, and 6% admitted that they had been involved in a crash associated with being held up in a traffic jam and four in 10 admitted they had accelerated rapidly away from congestion. However, while 51% of the drivers interviewed claimed traffic jams did not impact on their driving style, because almost a third of the sample showed TSS symptoms Mr Moxon believes many were in denial.

Symptoms suffered by drivers with TSS include increased heart rates (20%), headaches (19%) and sweaty palms (12%). In more severe cases drivers reported nausea, dizziness (8%) and stomach cramps (8%). Other symptoms include severe irritation, anger and worry. Typically, men find being caught in a traffic jam more frustrating than women drivers, although the research found that women were more likely to suffer from the more severe forms of TSS than men. Perhaps surprisingly, 4% of drivers said they found it enjoyable to be caught in congestion as it gave them time to think and relax.

Traffic jams create a timebomb phenomenon for TSS sufferers

“On average drivers spend 12 minutes per day stuck in traffic jams”

Equally surprising, said Mr Moxon, was the fact that drivers aged 30-50 were affected slightly more by TSS than motorists in the 18-29 age bracket, while people aged 50+ were less at risk. He says: “I expected the younger age group to be most affected by TSS. However, I believe the 30-50 age group suffer the most perhaps because of pressures and worries associated with their overall lifestyle resulting from possibly family and financial concerns.” Chronic jams and the resulting stress and frustration, says Mr Moxon, can be detrimental to both physical and mental health with the cumulative effect of symptoms coupled with other stresses associated with both work and home life impacting on people’s immune systems.

He says: “On average drivers spend 12 minutes per day stuck in traffic jams. If they are spending five days a week on the road, TSS sufferers will, over an average year, have to deal with 73 hours of intense stress. That chronic exposure will have a major and detrimental effect on an individual’s physical health.”

Mr Moxon admits that further research must be carried out into helping drivers overcome TSS. However, his top tips to overcoming TSS if caught in congestion are:

• Taking deep and slow breaths
• Listen to calming or relaxing music
• Use cognitive distraction tasks such as thinking of loved ones
• Push the recycle button on a vehicle’s air conditioning system as it will prevent exhaust fumes (carbon monoxide) from the traffic jam coming into the vehicle making drivers feel nauseous
• Place some aroma oil on a tissue and keep it in the vehicle’s “cockpit” to fragrance the immediate surrounds thereby helping relaxation

The roads where drivers are most likely to suffer TSS are:

• M25 south east
• M6 west midlands
• M25 western sector
• M25 northern sector
• M6 north midlands
• M5 Bristol area
• M1 east midlands
• M1 home counties
• M60 Manchester
• M4 Thames Valley

The simplest way to beating TSS is to journey plan, allow sufficient time for trips and travel, if possible, at the quietest times of the day.