Work stress could be making your commute dangerous

By Alex Fradera British workers spend on average one hour commuting each day, and 57 per cent of commuters make their daily journeys by car. But this is a part of our lives we don’t talk much about, beyond the odd epithet about the traffic; maybe because it’s a strange time, betwixt home and work but not fully either. Potentially, the drive to work is a haven: I recall my mother’s glove compartment crammed with audio books, so she could enjoy those stretches of solo time. But it’s more liable to be caught in a crossfire of worries, fretting about Daniel’s pensive moods at the breakfast table, or anticipating criticisms about the last sales pitch. New research from the University of Haifa suggests these psychological stressors can make our time on the road not just unpleasant, but dangerous as well. Keren Turgeman-Lupo and Michal Biron collected data from 216 employees at a manufacturing organisation (average age 35, with an average driving commute of 16 miles). They surveyed the employees about what they believed was generally seen as acceptable behaviour when on the road, such as whether it is okay to receive phone calls or texts or to let your attention wander to non-driving concerns. Participants also reported how often they committed dangerous driving behaviours such as overtaking on the inside lane or driving too close to the vehicle ahead. Participants who believed less safe driving-related habits were normal and acceptable also tended to drive more dangerous...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Mental health Occupational Source Type: blogs