Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, recently conducted a survey in which drivers from Southern California were asked about their driving preferences, habits and largest annoyances. Most people polled (40%) said Long Beach to Los Angeles is the most difficult corridor to drive, with Anaheim to Los Angeles (25%) coming next.                                                                    

The survey, which was presented to more than 450 drivers in Southern California during the month of April, found that out of all features in a car, including more advanced options like collision avoidance, Southern Californians think the horn is the most important feature. This could be because it helps them communicate with other drivers on the road. 

Traffic remains a significant pain point for drivers in Southern California. In fact, 71% of survey participants said that they would pay between ten and twenty dollars per commute to use a new (additional) expressway to alleviate congestion and save time on their trip. 

But according to the survey, traffic is not the worst part of driving in Southern California. 25% of people said that the feeling of “being judged by hybrid/EV drivers for not driving a more environmentally friendly car “is the worst part of driving in that region." An additional 25% of drivers agree that the amount of large trucks on the road were also to blame for poor driving conditions in Southern California. 

“Southern California is notorious for dense traffic and long commute times, easily making for a miserable commute for any driver,” said Scot Hall, Executive Vice President of Swapalease.com. “It's telling that so many people would pay a hefty toll to alleviate traffic, in addition to the fact that they're frustrated with larger vehicles such as utilities."                                                     

When it comes to getting a new vehicle, 40% of drivers polled said they would love to “make car buying like purchasing a smartphone where you can rent it for two years and then exchange it for a new one.”  

Swapalease.com matches a person wanting out of their existing vehicle lease contract with a car shopper looking to take over a short-term vehicle lease. The marketplace has several thousands of cars and trucks available for transfer to anywhere in the continental U.S. 

For full survey results, click here.