Thirty Percent Of Workers Who Drive To Work Have Texted While Commuting To And From The Office

A new study from CareerBuilder shows workers may have more than heavy traffic to contend with on their way to work. Fifty-eight percent of workers who drive to work said they experience road rage at times while traveling to and from the office, similar to findings in 2006 when the study was last conducted. Nearly one-in-ten workers (nine percent) who drive to work have gotten into a fight with another commuter.

The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of the website among 3,892 U.S. workers (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) ages 18-and-over between May 14 and June 4, 2012 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 3,892, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-1.57 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

The vast majority of workers (eighty-three percent) said they typically drive to work and, of those, twelve percent reported they took a job with a longer commute during or post-recession. While incidents of road rage are more prevalent among those with lengthy commutes, workers with short trips to their jobs aren't immune. Thirty-seven percent of workers with commutes of less than five minutes said they experience road rage from time to time. The same goes for fifty-four percent of workers with commutes of less than ten minutes.

Women were more apt to feel road age – sixty-one percent compared to fifty-six percent of men. In terms of age groups, workers ages 25-to-34 were the most likely to experience road at sixty-eight percent while workers 55-and-older were the least likely to experience it at forty-seven percent.

Nearly one-in-four workers (twenty-four percent) who drive to work reported they have been involved in an accident. While a variety of factors contribute to accidents, cell phone use can be a culprit. Three-in-ten workers (thirty percent) admitted they have texted while driving to and from work.

Workers may have a more amicable commute over the summer months. While ten percent of workers reported they tend to have more road rage in the summer, seventeen percent tend to have less.

"Road rage is most often associated with running late and far commutes," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. "Planning ahead and taking advantage of flexible work arrangements can help alleviate stress levels and set a more positive vibe for the workday."

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