York motorists are no strangers to the odd traffic jam.

The worst of the Layerthorpe Bridge queues may now - thankfully - be a thing of the past.

But there are still the delights of negotiating Bootham during the rush hour - and, for those unfortunate enough to have to go through it, the early morning adventure of trying to drive along Fulford Road.

Motorists tend to have their own tried and tested methods for keeping their cool as the pressure mounts in that endless traffic queue.

According to a survey by Vauxhall, music is regarded as the best way of cooling off. Nearly seven out of 10 people questioned by the car manufacturers turned on soothing tunes as stress levels mounted.

Swearing also proved to be a great technique for relieving anxiety - with over half of stressed out motorists resorting to the odd expletive or two, the survey revealed. One in five drivers said they even practised 'relaxation techniques', including deep breathing, to keep calm.

Surprisingly, smoking was the least popular method for reducing stress when behind the wheel - with only 15 per cent of harassed motorists lighting up in desperation. With Bank Holiday Monday fast approaching, we took to the roads of York to find out how the city's motorists cope with traffic snarl-ups.

Drivers tended to stick with the same tried and tested favourites when trying to keep their incipient road rage under control. Susan Brown, 32, of Selby, travels into the city most days, and is regularly caught up in traffic hold-ups.

She said: "I usually find that a cigarette helps me to calm down - that, and a few swear words.

"Travelling along the Fulford Road can be an absolute nightmare, especially in the morning. Sometimes you can see people in other cars getting really frustrated."

David Wilson, 50, of Huntington, said he breathed a sigh of relief when the road works finally finished on Layerthorpe Bridge in March.

He said: "In the end I lost count of the amount of times I sat waiting to get through those lights - what a messing around.

"I tried everything: deep breathing, Status Quo tapes, which I'm not sure were the right type of music, and eating chocolate, but at the end of the day, you can't do anything but sit there, can you?" <!C-#include virtual="/ep/newsfooter.html"

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