Drivers are either Homer Simpson or Mr Spock

There are two types of travellers characterised by TV's Homer Simpson and Mr Spock, a study suggests. Professor Glenn Lyons, of the University of the West of England (UWE), in Bristol, says we make our travelling decisions along two lines.

Mr Spock types will use every source of information available to make an informed and economical choice of how to get from A to B. While the Homers have a much more laid back approach to journeys.

Those who approach travelling like the alien scientist Mr Spock, star of TV series Star Trek, will use websites, ticket hotlines and offers to decide how to strike the best balance between journey cost, time and hassle.



However, Homer Simpson, the boorish father in the cult TV show The Simpsons, accepts congestion as a fact of life and gets on with it, turning attention instead to making the trip as enjoyable as possible.

Professor Lyons, director of the transport research society at UWE, said the two characters illustrated the range of individual behaviour among the travelling public. "Mr Spock is the archetype of logic - he wants to be in possession of all the facts so he can make the best possible decisions when taking a trip," he said.

"Homer Simpson, on the other hand, thinks that making trips is no big deal. As long as things work out he has many other things on his mind besides 'optimising' his travel."