Top tips to beat the rush hour blues for a smooth commute
Published 9 April 2021
Last updated 2 August 2024
Rush hour can be a frustrating time to drive … but do not worry! Learn how good food, proper journey planning and managing your mood can help your commute.
If you’re a regular commuter during rush hour, you’ll know just how painful some journeys can be. The roads frequently clog with vehicles and progress can be so slow that it’s tempting to drift away into a world of long summer evenings and lazy days by the sea … fantastic. Well, fantastic until you realise that the lights have gone green and you’re holding up an increasingly angry line of motorists.
If this sounds familiar to you, then rest assured you’re not alone. Do not despair, though – help is at hand! There are many practical things you can do to improve the quality of your journey to work and breathe a little more easily.
Check out our top tips
- Start with the basics. A combination of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and regular exercise will help keep you fit and improve your energy and stress levels – just what you need to handle your daily commute with ease.
- Mix up your travel. Consider taking the train or the bus on some days. You might even be able to car share with colleagues – ask around and see if anyone else drives your route into work.
- Manage your time effectively. Build a space into your day for a proper breakfast, and check traffic and travel information from National Highways before you leave.
- If you have a sat nav, take advantage of its ability to help you avoid heavily congested areas.
- Once you’re out and about, stay focused on the road and do not be distracted from making properly considered judgements about the safety of manoeuvres.
- Keep looking ahead and all around you to see what other road users are doing. At peak times, what looks like space ahead can quickly be filled by other vehicles changing lanes or traffic joining from other routes. Stay alert and use the Mirrors – Signal – Manoeuvre (MSM) technique before you make a move.
- If you do get stuck in traffic that does not appear to be moving, try to manage any frustrations you may be feeling. Driving aggressively will not get you to your destination any faster and could end up causing an incident.