"I don’t think we have to tell most people that, but I can give some numbers to back it up," says Dr. Walden, a North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service specialist. "Ninety percent of workers still commute alone every day by private auto.

"Plus the number of cars per person has increased almost 50 percent in the last 30 years," he adds. "Furthermore, we’ve gone from a majority rural state to a majority urban state.

"As a result, it shouldn’t be surprising -– and I don’t think people will be surprised –- that the average time that folks spend commuting to work has doubled in North Carolina in the past three decades."