British drivers are forced to sacrifice four years of their lives while stuck in traffic, according to new research.
A study carried out by hire firm OSV Ltd claims that the average commuter who drives to work loses 34 hours a year to adverse traffic conditions, on top of the time their journey already takes.
Over the course of a person’s lifetime, OSV’s research suggests, the average car driver will spend four years stuck in traffic jams unnecessarily.
Joint company director of OSV, Andrew Kirkley, said: “It’s depressing how much time is wasted due to delays, both on the road and finding a place to park.
“Imagine how much more productive and happier we could all be if we could use the wasted hours catching up on lost sleep, exercising, spending time with our families, or even at work, getting jobs done.”
More drivers, more congestion
“The number of drivers in the UK has increased exponentially in the last 50 years, with more than 28 million vehicles now on the roads. Unfortunately, the relevant infrastructure hasn’t seen corresponding changes, leaving many towns and cities at a standstill.”
Similar research in the past has shown that people who don’t have an allocated parking space at work on average add an extra 20 minutes on to their day while they find somewhere to park.
Adding up to 110 days spent over the course of the average career, it’s suggested that it also causes problems where commuters leave their cars in places that they shouldn’t.
The figures shows that more than a third of those who ended up having to park in residential areas had received verbal abuse or negative behaviour from upset residents.
Debbie Kinsey, co-director of OSV, said: “Rather than waging parking wars, we could try talking before our problems escalate, because in the end we have to be happy where we live, and there's more to life than a designated parking space!”
