How to Overcome Frustration over Traffic Congestion in Japan

More people are driving to work or traveling this year to avoid contracting the coronavirus. However, traffic jams are unavoidable. What do you do when you are stuck in a traffic jam?

A “Survey of families during traffic congestion” conducted by car audio maker Fujitsu Ten found that when their car is stuck in traffic jams, one married couple out of three engage in an argument.

In response to the question, “Do you ever engage in a spat with your spouse while stuck in traffic?” posed to married people with children, 6.5% replied “yes,” and 26.8% replied “sometimes.” And at 77.9%, traffic congestion ranked as the most common type of stress, exceeding the need of a toilet, cited by 41.7%. The above graph, showing responses by both children and parents to how the family want to spend time in the car during traffic jams, cited “engage in conversation” as the most common, so expressed by 68.8% of parents and 62.2% of children. It was followed by listening to music or holding quiz games or other types of play. While the family car is indispensable for leisure activities in autumn, the solution to irritability caused by traffic jams appears to lie in better communication between family members.