It is without a doubt that Filipinos love to go on road trips. Some of the more popular destinations include the cool escapes of Baguio and Tagaytay, or food-laden stops such as Pampanga and Binondo. Wherever it may be, north or south, one thing is certain, road trips are made more fun and enjoyable when it’s with friends or family.
This is one of the things that Shell recently discovered in the Shell Driving Experiment, a groundbreaking worldwide study that used cutting-edge emotional intelligence technology, ChatBots, mobile apps, and weather and traffic information to uncover drivers’ food and drink preferences and driving performance during everyday rides. In an aim to learn about the different factors that affect driving performance, Shell worked with experts from Goldsmiths, University of London, to monitor the data points from over 2,000 participants across 11 countries in order to measure the driver performance score of each country.
The results of the study were revealed during the ‘What Drives You’ launch event on February 27, which featured interactive installations and a panel of specialists discussing the research findings. The panelists included Cleary Ahern, a Doctoral Researcher from Goldsmiths, University of London. Ahern was then joined by other panelists composed of subject matter experts including motoring enthusiast and actor Jericho Rosales, champion racer Michele Bumagarner, and health and diet guru Nadine Tengco.
Traveling with family
In the Philippines, more than 300 participants logged nearly two thousand journeys across three key areas – Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao – to help uncover the driving performance of Filipino drivers.
The experiment revealed that family is central to the drivers who participated in the study. Those who specifically drop their kids off at school have smoother drives (less incidents of harsh acceleration and harsh braking) due to an improved driving performance than those who don’t. This result is consistent across both person-level and time-sensitive correlational analysis models. Simply put, it reaffirms the Filipino trait of being family-oriented which for generations, have not changed – even today.
The other factors that come into play
The Shell Driving Experiment also busted the myth that driving performance is dictated by gender. The biggest indicator of how well a person performs behind the wheel is, in fact, their personality type – which was revealed as the two personality archetypes of the Modern Man and the Gamma Woman.
The results also confirmed that stress is a constant emotion felt by Filipinos on the road. Destination is also another factor, with findings showing that drivers who are on their way to work are more stressed than those who are on the road for other purposes.
Even the food we eat plays a role in the driving performance of Filipinos. Participants of the study who reported feeling hungry during their journey had lower driver performance scores.
Giving importance to every ride
“The Shell Driving Experiment is part of Shell’s efforts to understand the changing needs of our customers,” shares Anthony Lawrence Yam, Vice President for Retail at PIlipinas Shell. “This helps us create better products and services, such as developing new fuels like Shell V-Power with DYNAFLEX Technology and the expansion of our non-fuel offers at Shell Select, which are relevant in improving the driving experience of Filipinos. At the end of the day, our goal is making life’s journeys better for every Filipino on the road.”
By providing quality fuel products and services to motorists around the world, Shell gained its foothold as a global leader in power and energy. It pioneers next generation technology in developing new sources for a reliable energy mix, producing smarter products as well as promoting smarter use. Shell strives to build smarter infrastructure and provide energy efficient engineering solutions that promote clean and efficient transport and sustainable mobility.
Through finding out and understanding how Filipinos feel and what really matters most for Filipinos, Shell continues its mission to enable families to go well on the road, wherever they want to go.