NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The next time you're stuck in a traffic jam, you might want to imagine yourself in a more relaxing situation. Like getting your teeth drilled at the dentist's office.

Least annoying People were asked which of these things they found least annoying. Annoyance  Response  Getting a cavity filled  24%  Standing in line at the DMV  22%  Sitting in the middle seat on a transatlantic flight  19%  Dealing with a crowded mall  17%  Sitting in gridlock traffic for over an hour  12%  Standing on a crowded subway for over an hour  5%   * some choices have been shortened for space  Source:  Yahoo! Autos/Harris Survey

Yes, it seems that, given the choice between getting a cavity filled or sitting in traffic for an hour, Americans would opt for the dentist's chair over the driver's seat. This is according to a survey by Harris Interactive, commissioned by Yahoo! Autos.

Respondents were presented with a list of annoying things and asked to choose the least annoying. Other things that respondents found less aggravating than sitting in traffic were standing in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles and dealing with a crowded mall on the busiest shopping day of the year. Only standing on a crowded subway train for over an hour ranked lower on the list of annoying things people would choose if they had to.

Most annoying People were asked which of these things they found most annoying Annoyance  Response  People talking on cell phone, not paying attention  30%  Tailgating  25%  Not using turn signals  14%  Getting cut off  13%  Someone braking too frequently in front of you  11%   * Some responses shortened for space.  Source:  Yahoo! Autos Harris Survey

The results were so surprising, said a spokesperson for Yahoo! Autos, that they asked Harris to reword the question slightly, making it clearer that people were being asked for the least, not most, annoying thing. Still, only 12 percent picked sitting in traffic as least annoying, while getting one's teeth drilled was picked as least annoying by 24 percent. Major dental work was even less annoying than a long DMV line, which was chosen by only 22 percent.

Asked about their biggest pet peeves, 30 percent of respondents said they found people talking on cell phones and not paying attention most annoying. Tailgaters came in second at 25 percent.

The survey was presented online and responses were received from 2,055 adult U.S. consumers between Oct. 8 and 10, 2003. Harris estimated the survey's margin of error was plus or minus 3 percent.