(Source: Times of India)

Image Courtesy: US Census Bureau via floridamortgageblogger.com

Apart from the well-documented ill-effects of long commutes on human life, now add this one – marriage. According to a new Swedish research study says those who spend a long time on trains or stuck in cars shuttling to the office are up to 40 per cent more likely to split from their spouse.

The research team, which looked at statistical data from two million Swedish households between 1995 and 2000, concluded that the risk is highest in the first few years of marriage when the dream of life together gives way to the daily grind.

The Researchers from Umea University said, “if one partner – most likely the husband – spends 45 minutes or more commuting they would come home too tired to help around the house.”

Click here to learn more.

Note:  Looking at the map above, I can’t help but wonder how are the divorce rates in these American states where people have significant commute times.  Scouring the web, I landed on this chart, which if laid out on a GIS map, would help us compare a bit more easily.. But it still helps to understand the dynamics between marital discord and heavy commutes.

Image Courtesy: Maritalmediation.com via Google Images

Of course, there are many other contributing factors that lead to a couple’s separation/divorce.  Nevertheless, it is interesting to see someone quantify the impact of long commutes on a relationship.

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, when questioned one night on a television talk show about what makes her so popular, responded: “I’m like a bad car wreck on the freeway. You know you shouldn’t stare but you just can’t help it.” 

We can’t help it, can we? While hardly unique, an accident that brought the State Route 60 in Rowland Heights, California to a crawl one afternoon provides a perfect example. Just past the State Route 57 interchange, three crumpled compact cars limped to the right shoulder and died. The respective occupants and a highway patrol officer surveyed the situation, rounding out the classic picture of an accident scene. For a few miles in either direction cars passed by at the speed of a funeral procession so their drivers could ogle the unfolding scenario. 

Admit it. Most of us do stop and stare — with costly consequences, too. The statisticians at the some urban traffic-safety centers calculate that rubbernecking causes more unnecessary traffic congestion than any other behavior.  

So why do we do it? Are we really that morbid? Do we really revel in the misfortunes of other people? 

“Not at all,” answered Mark Rafter, former assistant professor of psychology at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, California. “We stare because that’s the way we are built. It is perfectly normal for us to respond to unusual stimuli with an increased level of attention. In fact, having a sense of curiosity is healthy.” 

Rafter also said that this “novelty interest” increases our chances of survival. Instinct

dictates that we examine any unnecessary phenomenon — such as the brightly flashing blue and red lights of an emergency vehicle — lest it be a threat to our own safety. 

“There are other factors as well,” Rafter added. “Freeway wrecks provide us with the rare opportunity to double check our best guess as to the cause of the delay.” 

Goodness knows that we are granted plenty of time to wonder what happened when stuck in a long backup. When we finally arrive upon the accident scene, we are usually presented with conclusive evidence of just what the problem was. Then there is the frustrating fact that the very slowing of traffic that a collision creates lends us the perfect chance to really get a good look at it. Evidently our voyeuristic tendencies tend to complicate matters.

However, being the individuals that we are, not all of us stare with the same intensity, according to Rafter. 

“Each person strives to maintain their own optimal level of arousal,” Rafter pointed out. “Extroverts need to seek out exciting events to get to normal, so they really stop and gawk, whereas introverts require much less stimulation and tend to look away from tragic occurrences.”

In the final analysis, there’s really no need for us to feel too guilty about where we cast our eyes, at least according to one expert. On the other hand, traffic would certainly move a lot smoother if we elevated ourselves above our basic instincts and just kept our eyes on the road.

©2009, Dr. Roadmap® 

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David Rizzo, better known as Dr. Roadmap,  a Commute Management expert who writes about issues such as improving gas mileage (mpg), alternate routes, traffic congestion, ridesharing, commuting behavior and intelligent transportation systems on California’s Orange Country Register.  He is well known for his comprehensive guide ever written on off-freeway commuting in Southern California, published in 1990.  Two years later he became the first traffic reporter to offer daily alternate routes in real time over the air on one of the most popular morning radio shows in Los Angeles.  His bi-weekly columns appear exclusively for TransportGooru.  This is copyright-protected content.  Please contact Transportgooru if you like to use this article or portions of this article. 

WHOOSH! The mid-eighties pickup passed to my right with barely two inches between us. Evidently my 70 mph clip in the number two lane of the freeway barely passed muster for this dude, because as he maneuvered his truck directly in front of me he thrust his hand out the window and gave me the “one-finger salute.”

 Every single one of us motorists has ended up on the butt end of such activity at one time or another. But why all the anger? What causes ordinary citizens to morph into fist waving maniacs?

Raymond Novaco, Ph.D., former Professor of Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California at Irvine, provided some answers in a study entitled Automobile Driving and Aggressive Behavior.

• To start, Novaco pointed out that cars are marketed to appeal to our combative instincts. The ultimate driving machine, own the road, and “an aggressive multi-valve engine” are perfect examples of catch-phrases used in automobile advertisements that support this theory. 

• Additionally, model names like Viper, Cougar, Prowler, Jaguar, Stingray, and Challenger fit themes of power and competition.

• Novaco also reasoned that following through on assertive behavior becomes much easier behind the wheel because of the protection afforded by two tons of steel.

• Besides, cars provide a certain degree of anonymity. Knowing we can’t be readily identified increases the likelihood that we will resort to offensive behavior that we would never attempt on a face-to-face basis.

• Finally, our vehicles guarantee a quick escape. This ability to beat a hasty retreat almost encourages a transgression or two.

When you mix in the stresses of a long and frustrating drive with all of the above, you have some pretty strong predisposing factors for road rage. Add a precipitating factor such as a honking the worn, flipping the bird, waving a fist, etc. — what Novaco refers to as “cues for aggression” — and the results can get rather ugly.

Given all of the above, it’s no wonder we get dumped on by other drivers. But how can we keep this from happening to us in the first place? Luckily, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety offers several valuable tips in an eight-page brochure entitled Road Rage — How to Avoid Aggressive Driving.

• First and foremost, don’t offend. Tops on the list of offensive behavior is driving too slow in the fast lane. Heck, this is where the Type-A motorists hang out. For anyone who insists on cruising below 60 there, what are you thinking!

• The brochure also advises that you always signal when making lane changes, don’t cut people off, never tailgate, don’t flash your high beams, and keep your horn use to a minimum. Transgressions here rank high on the list of cues for aggression. In the case of a packed freeway where no one will willingly (if anything, we speed up) let you in if you signal in advance, merely give a courtesy flash of your blinker as you make your move when room allows.

• Don’t engage. In other words, give angry drivers plenty of room. Don’t make direct eye contact if you can help it. And unless you’re Mike Tyson, never accept an invitation to pull over to the side of the road.

• Lastly, adjust your attitude. Forget about “winning.” Trying to race everyone to the next stoplight or off-ramp invites confrontation.

Considering all this, it now seems obvious that I was partly to blame for the state of affairs that occurred when the pickup driver flipped me off, as described above. Discretion would dictate that I should have quickly pulled into a slower lane upon first sight of a fast approaching vehicle. Maybe then the guy would have raised his index finger, as well as his middle finger, and flashed the peace sign.

But then again, maybe I’m dreaming of another planet. The guy would have been just as likely to separate his four fingers in the middle and give me the Star Trek Vulcan sign.

©2009, Dr. Roadmap®

————————————————————————————————————————————————–

David Rizzo, better known as Dr. Roadmap,  a Commute Management expert who writes about issues such as improving gas mileage (mpg), alternate routes, traffic congestion, ridesharing, commuting behavior and intelligent transportation systems on California’s Orange Country Register.  He is well known for his comprehensive guide ever written on off-freeway commuting in Southern California, published in 1990.  Two years later he became the first traffic reporter to offer daily alternate routes in real time over the air on one of the most popular morning radio shows in Los Angeles.  His bi-weekly columns appear exclusively for TransportGooru.  This is copyright-protected content.  Please contact Transportgooru if you like to use this article or portions of this article. 

(Source: Jalopnik)

A UK university’s released a study proving what any car salesman’s ever told us, women judge men primarily by wealth and status, digging guys in expensive cars more than those driving an econobox.