How do you feel behind the wheel?

For World Mental Health Day, we asked Carrot customers about how driving affects their wellbeing, and vice versa.

Over 1,000 of you responded to our survey.

Thank you – it’s great to see so many people taking mental health seriously.

Here's what we found:

56% of you said the way you feel has an effect on the way you drive.

16% said stress caused by driving affects other areas of their lives, such as work or personal relationships.

The most common cause of stress at the wheel is aggressive drivers (65%).

But most of you say driving makes you feel calm (64%) or happy (40%).

Driving and having my music playing calms me down when I’m feeling worked up.

Driving makes me happy - I enjoy it!

Car journeys allow me to relax alone with my music on.

Sometimes, driving is a safe space to give you freedom whilst you’re still enclosed in something that’s is like protecting from really being outside.

Once I’m in the driver’s seat I’m calm, happy and relaxed.

Other drivers can make you feel anxious and stressed.

Someone crashed into the back of me and I always get anxious when traffic comes to a stop and someone is coming up behind me.

Heavy traffic in the morning is more likely to cause me stress and make me angry when I first get to work.

Leaving yourself an extra 5 or 10 minutes for traffic will help you avoid feeling rushed.

Plan your route in advance – check the route beforehand to work out where you need to go.

Ignore bad drivers – just focus on the road, and don’t let other drivers’ behaviour affect you.

Don’t drive tired / hungover – if in doubt, ask a friend or family member to help, or take public transport.

Our agents are here to help should you have any queries regarding your policy. Click here to contact us.