Half of the time I’m in traffic, I’m calculating how many minutes I’m losing to brake lights, and the other half, I’m wondering how some people even got their licenses. So if you’ve ever side-eyed someone doing 40 in the fast lane, this one’s for you too.
To reassure you that we’re all in it together, we’ve rounded up the funniest, most painfully accurate driving memes that capture what life behind the wheel looks like on modern roads. Buckle up, daily commuters and weekend B-road enjoyers — it’s going to be a wild ride.
Of course, different cultures have different relationships with cars, but according to a survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Valvoline.com, the average daily American commutes approximately 35 minutes. The figure might seem inconsequential, but it adds up to about 152 hours — or 19 full workdays — a year, just for getting to and back from work in their cars.
Given how much time they spend in their cars, it should come as no surprise that 68 percent of Americans said their whole day could be ruined by a bad commute.
And only a lucky few have the privilege to do it on their terms. In fact, less than 1 in 10 Americans say they don’t encounter any traffic on their typical daily commute.
I am wondering if that’s more of a US thing. Now that I live in France it doesn’t bother me at all to see the gendarmes driving around while we’re on the road. When I was in the US I always broke out in a sweat when I saw a police car, and I wasn’t even a member of a targeted group. Any people from other countries have a thought about this? Just curious.
Diagonal parking is a work of the devil – who will inevitably arrive in a huge van and block your view of the road when you want to back out. Just sayin’ …
63 percent of Americans said that commuting time was a major part of their job decision, and for many, work starts the moment they enter the car, not when they clock in.
With time, however, people learn how to adapt to it. About one-third of commuters use their drive to visualize their workday and make to-do lists in their head.
28 percent of commuters make phone calls on their drive, and more than 1 in 10 improve themselves in other ways, like learning a language with audio.
And these things add up. While the survey found that a stressful commute can ruin your whole day, 71 percent of Americans find their commute peaceful and even relaxing.
