We’ve had a few golden years of being able to work remotely, and nobody ever complained about how they missed the daily commute. But now the dreaded RTO has reared its head, and more and more people have to work at the office again, either full-time or, for the lucky ones, only a couple of days a week. Of course, there are those whose work cannot be done remotely, who have had to commute in any case.
There are different grades of commuting. For some, it simply means ten or twenty minutes each way in reasonably light traffic, while for others it could be forty minutes or longer in a bumper-to-bumper crawl. Either way, commuting used to be dead time, and a real pain on the backside. But there are ways of making this daily drag less painful, more productive, and even a relaxing experience. The thing that turns a daily commute into a stress point is normally one or the other niggle. You only need one issue to bug you, and if you could fix that, your commute would be better. Here is a list, in no particular order, because it is not possible to order a list of essential items.
Heated Steering Wheel
A Luxury That Becomes A Necessity
Cold hands are unpleasant, and this is one of those niggles that can make your daily commute really uncomfortable. A heated steering wheel provides instant comfort because it warms more quickly than the car’s cabin. You will have a better grip on the wheel because warm hands are more flexible, and you won’t need to wear gloves.
We tend to dress for cold weather, so an HVAC set warm enough for your hands may overheat your body. A heated steering wheel is also more energy efficient, especially if you are driving an EV.
Quiet Cabin
Helps You Relax, Think, Work
The increasing use of acoustic glass and rubber dampers makes a quiet cabin possible. You will never realize how great the lack of wind and road noise is until you are in a car with a noisy cabin again.
A quiet cabin allows you to listen to your music or podcast without distraction, or make hands-free calls without having to shout or ask the other person to repeat something. A quiet cabin is better than a noisy one, because even a faint but continuous noise will cause irritation and lead to fatigue.
Remote Start With Preconditioning
Start Your Commute In Comfort
Remote start with preconditioning allows to get into your car that is already cool on a hot day, or warm in freezing weather. If you know you can start your commute without sweating or freezing for the first few minutes until the HVAC kicks in, it will remove one of the stress points associated with commuting.
There is also a time-saving and safety benefit to preconditioning in really cold weather. We have all driven off before the windows are completely demisted because we were late, but preconditioning takes care of this and melts off any ice and snow as well.
Heated And Ventilated Seats
Because You’re Sitting Down
The one thing we all do during the commute is sitting down, and if your seat is too cold, you will be cold and uncomfortable as well, and this is a pain point that can change a boring commute into a really unpleasant experience. A heated seat is a must-have in any place with real winters.
The same applies to ventilated seats, which can circulate cool air under your body and legs when driving on a hot day. Heated and ventilated seats are very specific personal climate control mechanisms, and will make your commute a better experience.
Supportive Seating With Lumbar Support
Removes One Pain Point Of Commuting
Our spines are S-shaped, and we are not all the same size. A supportive seat with lumbar support, especially one that can be adjusted, will help you maintain that natural S-shape.
When your back, especially your lumbar region, is properly supported, it will prevent slouching, reduce back pain and strain, as well as the fatigue that results from a bad posture. Your circulation will improve, and you will be more comfortable. Your weight will be distributed more optimally, and this will ease muscle tension.
Head Up Display
Avoids Distraction
A head-up display projects crucial information on the windshield in front of the driver’s face. This information can include the car’s speed, navigation instructions, traffic warnings, and other alerts. With a couple of minutes of practice, the driver will learn to shift eye focus minutely, allowing the eyes to see the information on the screen, or look through it at the road ahead.
A head-up display is an important safety feature, because the driver does not have to take their eyes off the road, and this allows for faster reactions when sudden action is needed. It reduces eye strain and makes driving, and thus commuting, easier and better.
Quality Audio System
For A Better Experience
A high-quality sound system will go a long way to make your commute a more relaxing experience. Immersive, clear audio reduces driving stress, enhances your mood, and keeps you entertained without distraction. Good sound will help you relax, while a bad sound system will irritate and stress you.
Good sound is also essential if you use productivity features like voice commands, voice to text, or text to sound to keep connected to your work during the otherwise wasted commuting time.
Advanced Driver Assist Technology
Makes Your Commute Safer, Less Demanding
Commuting means spending lots of time in the traffic on the same roads every working day. Advanced driver assist (ADAS) technology is now so much a part of our driving experience that we don’t notice it anymore, while many drivers are irritated by the constant alerts and tend to turn the system off. You should spend a bit of time getting to know your car’s ADAS and use it to help in your commute.
Adaptive cruise control with smart stop and go is a must-have for your daily commute, as is lane-keeping assist. Blind spot monitoring takes the stress out of heavy traffic, while automatic emergency braking and collision warning will save the day when you lose concentration. Automatic high beams are great when part of your commute is in the dark.
Seamless Smartphone Integration
Lets You Work Or Relax Without Fuss
A large percentage of drivers will choose a car because it has cellphone integration. That is because our cellphones are such a major part of our daily lives, that we need our cars to get in on the act as well.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, especially when they are Bluetooth-enabled, give you safe and easy access to your music, navigation, and communication, all without handling your phone. Text-to-speech and voice-to-text allow you to compose and send emails or text messages, as well as receive these, while driving and keeping your eyes on the road. This will turn the time spent commuting into productive time.
Reliable Navigation
Because Traffic
If your commute has only one road option and is generally not that busy, a navigation system is not that important. The moment you have a choice of routes, and these can vary in how busy they are at any given time, navigation becomes crucial. Built-in or app-based navigation with real-time traffic updates helps avoid traffic jams and road closures, saving time and reducing stress. If you realize you will be late for a meeting, it will allow you to call ahead and alert the other attendees before the meeting is due to start.
A navigation app like Waze, with its real-time traffic updates, will help you avoid traffic jams and road closures, which will save time and reduce stress. Even when you cannot avoid being held up in traffic, a reasonable prediction of how long your journey will take will give you a fixed data point, knowing the commute will be done in so many minutes.
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