Use of private cars for commuting amounted for an 80% rise in commuter stress in all major cities in New Zealand, according to IBM’s Commuter Pain Study.

The study to review commuting patterns surveyed 937 adult drivers aged 18-64 years throughout Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch cities in New Zealand during October 2010.

The study pointed out that driver frustration was caused by several factors including 51% by stop-start traffic, 30% by aggressive or rude drivers, 27% by low speed and 19% by unreliable journey time.

A quarter of the drivers surveyed believe that traffic has negatively affected their health and this was highest among drivers in Auckland at 30%, 18% in Christchurch and Wellington at 13%.

Management of traffic flows through technology and sophisticated analytics of transport systems can aid in improving public transportation systems, which can reduce stress levels during the daily commute, according to the report.