Home Page > Mid-term Paper JessieLos Angeles Traffic: The Impact of the Daily Commute
Jessica Skenderian
Anyone who has lived in Los Angeles knows that the highways are notorious for being referred to as “parking lots” and has become accustomed to factoring in traffic when calculating how long it will take to get to a specific destination. Research suggests that almost 90% of the United States labor force commutes by private vehicle (Novaco, Stokols, & Milanesi, 1990), indicating that the problem of congestion on the highways is an increasing concern. The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) is a survey which provides national statistics and trend data on the travel of the American public by all modes of transportation. According to the most recent survey in 2001, there is approximately one vehicle (0.97) for every person 16 years and older in the U.S. In fact, over 25 percent of U.S. households have three or more vehicles. The survey also indicated that vehicle use has increased. Since 1969, the average annual vehicle miles generated by American households has increased from 12,423 to 21,187, which is a 59 percent increase.Los Angeles, in particular, has a high rate of individuals who commute daily on highways and roads and who suffer the negative consequences as a result. More specifically, Los Angeles demographics census (Los Angeles Almanac, 2000) revealed that 1,203,143 workers aged 16 years and older commuted by car, truck, or van. Out of this total number, 982,735 drove alone and 220,408 drove in the carpool lane, indicating that most drives do not take advantage of the carpool lane thus contributing to the congested roads. Not surprisingly, according to the most recent report by the National Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA; 2000), Los Angeles County is ranked number one for most traffic fatalities, alcohol-related fatalities with, and motorcyclist fatalities. The high numbers of traffic accidents not only negatively impacts those involved, but also hinders the economy. In fact, the overall cost to California in 2000 was $20.655 billion (NHTSA, 2000). In addition, traffic experienced on the highways not only leads to accidents but is a key contributor to negative psychological consequences such as stress and aggression. This paper will address some of the concerns associated with daily commuting via the congested traffic of Los Angeles.
Driver Stress
Research suggests that most individuals who commute on a daily basis experience some level of daily traffic congestion (Novaco, Stokols, & Milanesi, 1990). Los Angeles/Orange County, has statistically been shown to have the worst congestion in the nation (Texas Transportation Institute, 1996). Novaco, Stokols, Campbell, & Stokols (1979) refer to congested traffic as a negative event in that it tends to slow or block the attainment of goals, such as driving at a certain speed or getting to a destination at a scheduled time. This is of particular concern since drivers indicate that traffic congestion is a major contributor to stress experienced while on the road (Hennessy & Wiesenthal, 1999). Furthermore, research has shown that drivers frequently experience irritation in traffic congestion, regardless of time demands (Gulian, Debney, Glendon, Davies, Matthews, 1989). Studies also show that individuals who are forced to drive below a desired speed, especially for long distances, tend to report greater levels of driver stress (Hennessy, Wiesenthal, & Kohn, 2000). It is evident that traffic congestion alone is enough to lead to driver stress. Hennessy, Wiesenthal, & Kohn (2000) conducted a study examining driver stress in both low and high traffic congestion. In the study, the participants were interviewed on cell phones while commuting from home to work/school during low and high congestion hours of the day. The results showed that drivers showed more stress under high rather than low congestion and that time urgency contributed to stress at both congestion levels. In addition, their findings indicated that a combination of situational and personal factors contribute to driver stress, such as factors external to the actual driving context. Individuals who commute to Los Angeles on a daily basis are definitely at a high risk for driving stress since they are faced with the stressful demands of work as well as traffic congestion on their commute everyday.In another study, Novaco, Stokols, Campbell, & Stokols (1979) examined driver stress associated with traffic in Orange County, California. In this study, the participants recorded the conditions of the highway traffic in travel logs. The participants also had their mood, blood pressure and heart rate measured as soon as they arrived to work. The results of their study indicated that blood pressure and arousal levels increased as travel distance and time increased. Other research has shown that the short term negative health effects of driver stress can lead to long-term aversive psychological effects such as mood changes and depression as well as physiological problems such as physical exhaustion (Hennessy & Wiesenthal, 1997).
Aggressive Driving
Driver stress has also been linked to aggressive driving behaviors (Hennessy & Wiesenthal, 1999; Green, 2002). In fact, Matthews, Dorn, and Glendon (1991) found that accidents are more likely to occur under conditions of stress and aggression. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, 2000) defines aggressive driving as occurring when "an individual commits a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property." A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that deaths and injuries caused by so-called aggressive driving rose by 51 percent between 1990 and 1995 (Littwin, 2001). In another study, Louis Mizell, Incorporated reviewed 10,037 incidents by gathering data from newspapers, police reports, and insurance reports. They found that an average of at least 1,500 men, women, and children are injured or killed each year in the United States as a result of "aggressive driving." Clearly aggressive driving can lead to hazardous driving conditions for those on the road, even the possibility of fatal accidents. Rasmussen, Knapp, and Garner (2000) surveyed college student commuters about their experiences with stress induced by driving. The results showed that 23.6% of the participants reported becoming angry at another driver more than once per day. They rated stress from other drivers as equal to the stress experienced during a college examination but gave slightly lower ratings to traffic congestion, road construction, and finding a parking place as sources of stress. Slow drivers, a child not restrained, and a vehicle following too closely was the highest rated annoying situations. In addition, 21.6% of participants had reported another driver to the police; about 22% said they carried a weapon for protection from other drivers (5.4% indicated a gun). Men were more than twice as likely as women to carry a weapon and three times as likely to carry a gun. Of the total sample, 19.1% feared being shot by another driver. Moreover, most participants (75.8%) said drivers were more aggressive and dangerous than they were five years ago.
In another study, Green (2002) looked at the relationship between road rage, aggressive driving, and traffic congestion. The results indicated that when traffic is congested, drivers tend to force their way into gaps that would be considered too small on less congested roads. The results of this study as well others previously discussed that have examined the relationship between driver stress and aggression indicate that many drivers tend to engage in unsafe driving when faced with traffic congestion. These unsafe driving tactics lead to a higher number of traffic accidents and fatalities that continue on the rise today. These statistics are going to continue to grow as traffic congestion increases over time, especially in cities that already are depicted as having highly congested highways and roadways.
In conclusion, it is evident that traffic congestion is a major contributor to driver stress and aggressive driving. Furthermore, traffic congestion has led to and continues to be the cause of many traffic accidents, psychological and physiological problems among drivers as well as aggressive driving behaviors. Los Angeles in particular, has shown to be a city at a statistically higher likelihood of traffic congestion and associated risks. Clearly, more research is needed in this area to highlight the potential health risks to individuals who experience the stress of daily traffic congestion as well the possible threat to their lives. Hopefully more research about traffic congestion will encourage measures to be taken that will help reduce this problem which affects the many individuals throughout the Untied States who commute, especially those living in big cities like Los Angeles.
References
Green, S.D. (2002). Fed Up and No Place to Go: Does Traffic Congestion Cause Road Rage? Traffic Safety, 2, 14-17.
Gulian, E., Matthews, G., Glendon, A.I., & Davies, D.R. (1989). Dimensions of driver
stress. Ergonomics, 32, 585-602.Hennessy, D.A., & Wiesenthal, D.L. (1997). The relationship between traffic congestion, driver stress and direct versus indirect coping behaviours. Ergonomics, 40, 348-361.
Hennessy, D.A., & Wiesenthal, D.L. (1999). Traffic congestion, driver stress, and driver aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 25, 409-423.
Hennessy, D.A., Wiesenthal, D.L., & Kohn, P.M. (2000). The influence of traffic congestion, daily hassles, and trait stress susceptibility on state driver stress: An interactive perspective. Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, 5, 162-179.
Littwin, S. (2001). Prevent the #1 driving danger. McCall’s, 128, 52-55. Los Angeles Almanac (2000) City of Los Angeles demographics: Census 1990 & 2000. Commuting. Retrieved on February 22, 2007 from http://www.laalmanac.com/LA/la13.htm
National Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (2000) Retrieved March 1, 2007, from http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/STSI/6_CA/2005/6_CA_2005.htm
Novaco, R.W., Stokols, D., Campbell, J., & Stokols, J. (1979). Transportation, stress, and community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 7, 361-380.
Novaco, R.W., Stokols, D., & Milanesi, L. (1990). Objective and subjective dimensions of travel impedance as determinates of commuting stress. American Journal of Community Psychology, 18, 231-257.
Rasmussen, C., Knapp, T.J., Garner, L. (2000). Driving-induced stress in urban college students. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 90, 437-443. Texas Transportation Institute. (1996). Traffic jams: Not just big-city problem. Retrieved March 1, 2007, from http://tti.tamu.edu/publications/researcher/newsletter.htm?vol=34&issue=3&article=1
