South Africans spend 10 days sitting in traffic every year

Motorists in South Africa spend an average of 10 days staring at the car in front of them in traffic every year.

This is according to new research conducted by AutoTrader UK, which revealed the countries with the longest commutes.

The study surveyed car commuters from 17 countries, examining how long people spend driving to and from work on average each year.

It also looked at how stressful or relaxing individuals found their journeys to be, including what frustrates them the most about their commute and what they think could be done to improve the experience.

“To calculate each country’s annual driving commute time, Autotrader asked motorists to self-report how much time they spent each day driving to and from work, and cross-referenced it with how many days they travelled to work each week (versus how many hours they worked from home), how many public holidays each country has and each countries’ annual leave allowance,” said the platform.

A key finding was that South Africa had the longest average commute time of all the countries in the study, putting it ahead of other nations with notorious traffic conditions, such as India.

A typical motorist in Mzansi spends 10 days, 4 hours, and 48 minutes sitting in congestion every year.

That puts local commuters ahead of the global average of 8 days, 5 hours, and 53 minutes.

“Drivers in South Africa spend more time commuting by car than anywhere else, averaging more than 10 full days a year,” according to AutoTrader.

“In and around Johannesburg and Pretoria, long distances and heavily used routes like the N1 and N3 are part of daily travel for many commuters. In Cape Town, regular congestion on the N2 adds to journey times, adding significantly to the annual total.”

These were the results of the study:

Across all of the countries surveyed, the number one complaint motorists had was, unsurprisingly, traffic congestion, with 84% of respondents saying it was their main concern.

“These frustrations are especially high in India (94%), South Africa (92%), and Portugal (91%), where busy roads significantly extend commute times and contribute to daily stress,” said AutoTrader.

“Beyond gridlock, it’s driver behaviour that gets under most people’s skin. Bad driver behaviour is cited by 70% globally as a major dislike, with the highest levels of frustration coming from the UK and the Netherlands (both 76%), followed by France (74%), Germany (73%), and Canada (73%).”

The second-worst-affected country, India, also has major congestion issues in large cities.

“India follows closely behind, with car commuters also spending more than 10 days a year on the road. In major cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, traffic levels can be intense, with routes like the Western Express Highway and the Outer Ring Road often moving slowly.”

“When delays are part of everyday driving, even relatively short trips can make a noticeable contribution to the yearly total.”

Ireland is one that some may be surprised to see so high on the list, but this is reportedly due to the traffic around Dublin, which is on par with many of the worst-congested cities in the world.

Congestion is not the only issue motorists face

However, traffic is not the only major concern for motorists, as 51% of respondents said that vehicle issues in the last year have led to stressful moments, causing many to be late for work.

It’s a significant statistic, as it suggests that only half of motorists go through a year without car trouble.

Relatedly, the study found that motorists in the Netherlands (68%), New Zealand (66%) and the USA (63%) are the most likely to enjoy a commute free from car issues, all reporting no vehicle issues in the past year.

The UK, Australia, and Germany also reported above-average levels of car reliability.

In contrast, South Africa had the most unreliable commutes with 84% reporting a car fault that impacted their journey over the last year.

India and Mexico also had high fault rates at 78% and 66%, respectively.

This is likely because all three countries have lower average incomes, meaning that they are filled with ageing cars, and many households can’t afford to conduct regular maintenance.