The purpose of this project was to investigate automobile commuters' subjective perceptions of travel impedance and their driver stress. The distance and time of the commute in relation to driver stress were also assessed. Commuters with high driver stress reported higher subjective perceptions of travel impedance, but the commuters with longer distance and time commutes did not report greater driver stress. The findings indicate that one of the key factors in determining a commuter's stress level is the perception of impedance rather than whether physical impedance actually occurred. These findings suggest that persons with short distance and time commutes also feel driver stress and that a commuter does not have to have a long-distance or time-consuming commute to experience driver stress.

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