SPONSORED — If your daily commute is right up there with death and taxes as one of the foreboding yet inevitable forces in your life, well, then you’re like a whole lot of Americans.

According to a 2005 ABC News poll, 62 percent of Americans reported that driving made them feel frustrated, while 56 and 43 percent respectively claimed they felt nervous and angry behind the wheel.

If your twice-daily routine is making you long for the days of horse-drawn carriages, you are a strong candidate to switch to a train or bus. It might be your car — not your commute — that’s to blame. Here’s why.

It keeps getting longer

Imagine wittingly giving up a chunk of your prime waking hours to sit unproductively on a jam-packed freeway. Well, if you’re like most Americans, you don’t have to imagine the situation at all. In fact, the U.S. Census ranked the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area as the 10th worst in the nation for commute times. If you’ll be sitting in Pacific Northwest traffic today, you can probably relate.

The easiest way to avoid this is by taking advantage of grade-separated rail. Light rail and commuter rail operate separately from traffic, and longer-haul buses, including Sound Transit’s express bus system, allows you to take advantage of carpool and bus lanes and breeze past those stuck in gridlock.

It’s draining your wallet

Sure, the price of gasoline might be lower now than it has been in several years, but is that lower pump price really much of a bargain? With gas prices averaging around $2.70 per gallon in the Seattle area, according to GasBuddy.com, an average commute still costs a pretty penny — one better spent, well, anywhere.

It’s draining your wallet even more

Sure, gas is pricey, but you know what else is? Everything about your car. According to the American Automobile Association, the average cost of owning and operating a car is rising. The average cost to own and drive a midsize sedan was 60.8 cents per mile, or $9,122 in 2013.

In fact, you can calculate just how much you can save by switching to transit with the American Public Transportation Association’s savings calculator. On average, a commuter who rides public transit between Everett and Seattle, instead of driving a medium-sized car on the 60-mile round trip and paying $10 for parking each day, saves more than $3,000 each year.

It’s bad for your mental health

If you thought work and family life were causing you stress, you might be leaving out a third culprit. According to CNN, people who commuted any distance in a private car had higher stress levels than people who commuted shorter distances via train, bus or on foot. Additionally, car drivers were more likely to be found with elevated blood pressure levels.

It’s bad for your physical health

Sitting in a stationary position — like in the driver’s seat of a car — isn’t too great for your physical well-being, either. According to Slate, one in three workers who had a 90-minute daily commute reported recurrent neck or back problems. Not to mention that time spent sitting in traffic jams means you’ve got less time to spend at the gym (or at least that’s a good excuse).

It’s lonely

Let’s face it; you’re not meeting anyone sitting alone in the driver’s seat of your car. When you take public transportation, on the other hand, you never know who you’ll meet. And with more and more commuters taking to trains, buses and light rails, there’s more opportunity than ever to socialize. In fact, Sound Transit reported that boardings increased 9 percent to 33 million in 2014.

You’re not getting anything done

Imagine a couple extra hours each day spent catching up on news, returning emails or even prepping for that conference call. If you’re spending your commute behind the wheel of your car, that extra time is, well, road kill. Commuting via public transportation, however, gives you the freedom to work, read, learn a language or catch some shut-eye.