According to a 2019 survey of 2,800 workers in the United States, the average round trip commute is 48.37 minutes, and 45% of those surveyed said their commute was too long. For many of us, a long commute is unavoidable, and with it often comes stress, frustration, and wear and tear on our vehicle that leads to us needing brake repair service and other maintenance more often. So how can we minimize these commute side effects?

Leave earlier: To avoid arriving at work late or spending your entire drive worried you won’t make it in time, give yourself a buffer by leaving earlier. This will help to alleviate stress while driving, potentially prevent speeding tickets from racing to arrive on time, and will cut down on aggressive or tough driving that is detrimental to your car.

Try not to race the rest of traffic: Constant lane changing, speeding and braking, and other aggressive driving habits may feel as though they are helping you reach your destination faster, but they can sometimes add on to your drive time, not to mention cause more wear to your car. Drive with the flow of traffic to keep yourself and your vehicle safe.

Pack snacks: If you get stuck in traffic after work when you just want to get home, that’s already frustrating enough. But tack being hungry on to that and it’s even worse. Keep some snacks in the car that don’t need to be refrigerated so that you have something to munch on if hunger strikes.

These are just a few tips for making a long commute a little bit more tolerable and less detrimental on your car so that you don’t need brake repair service or other vehicle maintenance as frequently. Check back for part II of this blog for more.