Cherry Hill Car Accident Lawyers Discuss Link Between Stress and Car Accidents

Being stressed makes everything more difficult. Performing your job, completing household chores, maintaining friendships, and being a strong parent and partner are all more difficult when you are suffering from the stresses of a challenging job, a difficult financial situation, health problems, or trying personal circumstances. A recent study published in the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology discusses another area of our lives that can be negatively impacted by stress: our daily commutes.

The study linked risky driving behaviors to workplace stress, even in individuals who work out of their homes. Workplace stress, largely due to feeling an imbalance between work and family life, caused drivers to take risks such as texting while driving, talking on the phone while driving, driving aggressively, and passing other vehicles improperly. Risky driving behavior was correlated with a poor relationship with the driver’s supervisor.

Reduce Stress to Lower Risk of Causing a Car Accident

There are many ways to reduce your workplace stress to make yourself a better driver. The most important way to reduce your stress is to recognize the difference between problems you can change and those you cannot change. Once you determine which problems are in your power to control, you can take the necessary steps to change them. Acknowledging that there are certain things in life that simply cannot be changed can be reassuring in its own way. For example, you might recognize that you cannot control your colleagues’ personalities or that you need to interact with them in your workplace. You can change how you approach these interactions and the amount of time you spend thinking about them outside of work.

Try to make your commute more enjoyable by using the time to mentally prepare for the day ahead or decompress as you drive home. Consider listening to books on tape or podcasts to make the drive interesting and even relaxing. Another way to make your commute less stressful is to give yourself sufficient time to get to work. Being late to work is stressful and may lead to speeding. Avoid this stress by leaving earlier or taking a different route to work to avoid traffic.

Use your commute as a time to disconnect from the stresses of your workplace or your family. Consider making it a habit to turn off your work phone before you leave the office or to put your personal phone on silent before you leave for work each morning. By making these part of your routine, you can create separations in your day that make it easier to disconnect from one part of the day and prepare for the next.

Avoid succumbing to the stresses of your commute as well. Other drivers might be in a rush and driving in an aggressive manner but it is best to ignore them. Stay within the speed limit and obey posted traffic signs to keep yourself and others safe.

Cherry Hill Car Accident Lawyers at DiTomaso Law Help Injured Victims Seek Compensation

If you are suffering from an injury following a car accident, take steps to help yourself recover the compensation you deserve for your damages. Complete our online contact form or call 856-414-0010 to arrange your initial consultation with one of our seasoned Cherry Hill car accident lawyers at DiTomaso Law. Our office is located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and we work with clients throughout Philadelphia and South Jersey.