Last month a study was released by staffing firm Robert Half which surveyed more than 2,700 workers in 27 U.S. markets to determine how long they spend commuting to and from their offices. Respondents were also asked to rate their commute-related stress to determine which cities had the most anxiety-ridden commuters.

For longest commute times, the top ranking cities were:

1. Washington, D.C. (Avg: 60.42 mins)
2. San Francisco, CA (Avg: 59.20 mins)
3. Chicago, IL (Avg: 58.50 mins)
4. New York, NY (Avg: 57.92 mins)
5. Dallas, TX (Avg: 54.95 mins)

Interestingly, the cities with the longest commute times weren’t necessarily creating the most anxious commuters, or vice versa. The cities with the most stressed commuters were:

1. Los Angeles, CA
2. Miami, FL
3. Austin, TX
4. Phoenix, AZ
5. San Francisco, CA

It’s notable that Phoenix ranked lower in longest commutes (#19), but high in stress (#4); conversely, Seattle ranked high (#6) in longest commutes, but lower (#17) in stress. San Francisco did manage to make the top five in both lists, however. Aside from length of time, there are a lot of factors that can impact stress levels during a driving commute. Traffic delays, road work, and unexpected family or work demands coming up while you’re on the road can all create more anxiety.

We at Drivemode want you to love your drive— especially your commute. We understand that a stressful commute on the way in to the office sets the pace for your work productivity; on the way home, stress impacts your cool down time to let your work day go and enjoy your personal time.

Using Drivemode on your commute, you can listen to your chill-out jams in a transparent overlay while your preferred navigation app tracks traffic in the background. If you get an urgent question from your boss, you can safely talk-to-text. And with our recent update, when your family wants to know how far you are from home, you can use our new location sharing feature.

Drivemode Co-Founder and CEO Yo Koga said about our location sharing,

We want to make the road safer and we know that drivers who are less stressed will contribute to a safer driving environment. When you are running late or just on your way to meet someone, being able to quickly and safely share your location with a friend or family member can reduce anxiety over a late departure or unexpected traffic. As more people are on the road during the upcoming holidays, we know friends and family will also be happier knowing where you are and when they can expect you.

As part of Drivemode’s ongoing commitment to help you love your drive, we are constantly developing new features to increase safety, enhance connectivity, and ultimately reduce your driving stress. Is there a feature you want to see that will make your commute better? Head over to our Google+ page and share your feedback and ideas! We'd love to hear them. You may even see your suggested feature in an upcoming update!