Traffic getting to you? IBM report shows increase in negative health effects
We tend to think of a traffic jam as more of an annoyance than a health hazard, but the Global Commuter Pain Study performed by IBM indicates that the majority of the world’s population thinks traffic is getting worse—and it’s affecting our well being… The study surveyed over 8,000 motorists traveling in 20 different cities. With commutes on the whole lasting longer and becoming more grueling, many respondents said that their performance at work or in school had been negatively affected by time spent in traffic. But the news wasn’t all bad, as certain regions reported that traffic had lessened over the last few years… So, where should you move if ease of travel is a top priority? Motorists in Montreal are living the life—as IBM’s study shows that the experience of getting to and from work is least-painful for those traveling in the eastern Canada city. You can expect quite the opposite if your commute takes you through Mexico City, where the driving experience ranks right alongside Beijing as being the worst in the IBM Commuter Pain Index… North American cities such as Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago offer up relatively painless commutes, with Chicago coming in third overall on a global scale.
