Driving is no longer what it used to be: 83% of Spaniards under 34 feel stressed behind the wheel. PHOTO: VOLVO.
A CALMER DRIVE, FEWER SLIP-UPS BEHIND THE WHEEL
Getting into the car shouldn’t be synonymous with getting nervous. Since traffic jams, roadworks, and rushing can’t be avoided, some car features are designed to put the mind at ease.
By Cristina Martín Frutos
4 DECEMBER 2025 / 07:30
Haste. Endless traffic jams. The GPS giving instructions. A vehicle fleet that in the last 35 years has doubled (from 16.5 million vehicles in 1990 to more than 34 million today). Road closures for maintenance. More hurry… Currently, driving does not seem like what used to relax our parents. A recent mobility study, conducted by the EasyPark app, indicated that 83% of Spaniards under 34 feel stressed at the wheel.
Nevertheless, many people still enjoy the road. José María Galofré, CEO of Volvo Car Spain, is among them. “I really enjoy driving a lot, not only cars: also motorcycles, bicycles… For me, it’s a moment of relaxation, of enjoyment,” he says. “Although there is something that makes me nervous: that the car won’t help me. If when you reach the car, in addition to your external problems, everything is complicated, the situation stops being pleasant.”
Agobiados por el tráfico
It’s clear that external conditions are there. It’s not just about enduring a traffic jam first thing in the morning. It’s that this could ruin the rest of your day. Eight out of ten Spaniards believe that mobility in their city—especially in Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia—affects their quality of life, according to the Midas Observatory. More data: 50% of citizens feel a negative impact on their well‑being when arriving late to work due to traffic. And 47% feel overwhelmed by not finding parking.
That’s why it’s so important that, at least, the time you spend in the car (between 30 minutes and an hour for almost half of Spaniards) be as pleasant as possible. And that is where the comfort or assistance Galofré mentions comes into play. “The purpose of Volvo, since its origin almost 100 years ago, is that when you are in one of their vehicles you feel the slightest anxiety.”
Lo primero: estar cómodo en el coche
Automotive brands have it clear. A comfortable driver is a more alert driver. Volvo, for example, collaborates with experts from the University of Gothenburg for the design of its seats and all ergonomics. This has allowed them, for instance, to minimize pressure points. The fact that the cabin is well soundproofed also brings calm. That feeling of rolling down the windows and keeping the noise out.
«One of the things that creates the most anxiety in a car is that nervousness about how to turn off the radio, how to lower the temperature, what noise is coming from there… When you sit in a Volvo that disappears. Everything is at hand, it seems logical and is simple. That is what will make your journey calm,» says the group’s CEO, who links this aspect to the brand’s Swedish origin. “The functional model in Sweden seeks that things be natural.” In other words, intuitive technology translates into saving mental energy. Something that in this world of hyperconnection and mental load is quite welcome.
Sentir confianza para combatir la ansiedad al volante
Not everyone feels safe behind the wheel. This becomes very clear when we learn that 33% of licensed drivers have an irrational fear of driving, according to the Mapfre Foundation. In this sense, technology—artificial intelligence, cameras, radars, ultrasonic devices…—has become a great ally.
Galofré refers to features such as Pilot Assist (which provides steering assistance and helps you maintain the distance from the vehicle in front), the 360° sensors for object detection — pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, other cars… —, the integration of Google Assistant, etc. “The idea isn’t that they drive for you, but that you have it in case you fail,” he summarizes.
El estrés y la ansiedad, cada vez más peligrosos en carretera
Because, beware, let’s not lose sight of a fact: only the 10% of accidents are due to mechanical errors of the vehicle or to poor road conditions. In the remaining 90% the human factor is behind it. Speeding, alcohol and drug use, and, of course, stress. Because, as Volvo’s CEO warns, “fatigue and anxiety are increasingly carrying more weight.” In light of this, designing a car to take cortisol levels into account is not a trivial matter.
Moreover, at Volvo, that concern for offering extra safety, and ultimately greater calm, is part of its DNA. They already did it with the invention of the three-point seat belt in 1959 —whose patent they shared with the world and which is estimated to have saved more than a million lives— and the rear-facing child seat (1972). Or more recently with fatigue alert, occupant detection, or the new multi-adaptive belt, which adapts to traffic variations and to the person wearing it through real-time data collected by the sensors.
Cuidar de la salud mental también fuera del coche
But not all innovations are inside the four doors of the car. Not long ago Volvo launched SeguraMente. An initiative that integrates mental and emotional health into the discussion about road safety. “The commitment to caring for people is framed within Volvo’s ethics. Not only when they are inside the car, but also outside. We defend safety in the vehicle and also respect for values that make life easier for us,” defends Galofré. Because, as he says, when you are calm and feel good, you probably live much better.
