For the past nine weeks, I have been commuting upwards of 150 miles a day. Ideally, this would only take one hour and fifteen minutes in each direction. Since we don’t live in an ideal world, though, some commutes have taken me two hours and forty-five minutes in one direction. If you’re doing the math (and you can imagine that I was), that’s about five hours in the car per day, give or take. I decided that it made sense to get up at 4:30 a.m. (as if it ever makes sense to get up that early) and leave my house by 5:30 a.m. to “beat the traffic.”
The one thing I can say is that I had a lot of time to sing at the top of my lungs, reflect on life, and raise my blood pressure during those drives. With only one week left of commuting this summer, I look forward to the days where those five hours can be put back to important things — like eating and sleeping — but have also come up with some tips for those of you who have to endure the hell on a more long-term basis.
Do
1. Be mindful that when you’re stopped in traffic, all the cars around you can see what you’re doing.
So make sure you’re not doing anything gross or weird.
2. Compile a kick*ss playlist or pick a good podcast to listen to.
You could even try listening to a book on tape if those still exist...?
3. Figure out the best time of day to make your commute.
There are varying amounts of cars on the road at different times, so suck it up and do what it takes (like getting up at 4:30) to try to minimize the amount of time you waste in traffic.
4. Find a driving buddy.
Their company will keep you awake and alert. You can do things like use the HOV lane when you have two people in the car. You can even take turns driving to make it less taxing.
5. Drink something to wake you up.
I don’t drink coffee, but I probably should have this summer.
6. Be confident in your driving because it will enhance it.
Yes, stop-and-go traffic and sharing the road with crazy drivers makes everyone nervous. The minute you let those nerves get to you, your driving suffers. Be decisive and deliberate in your actions, because hesitation can cause accidents.
7. Find the rhythm in the traffic.
There is one, I promise. The more you make the same commute, you’ll start to catch onto these patterns. There will be some stretches of highway where the left lane moves the fastest and others where there is a major exit off of the right and traffic flows well there instead. Finding these rhythms will help you to stay engaged in the driving process and power through the commute.
8. Blast some cold air on your face.
Cold air helps you stay awake and alert, so crank that A/C and get driving!
9. Get routine maintenance.
Commuting takes its toll on your car as much as it does on you. Show your car some love with brake pad replacements and oil changes. Ignoring necessary maintenance is only dangerous.
Don't
1. Park yourself in the passing lane.
This was one of the biggest things I noticed people doing this summer. The passing lane has its name for a reason — to pass people. Once you are done passing, kindly pull into the travel lane (also aptly named, since it's intended for travel). When people who shouldn't be in the passing lane stay there, it creates the dangerous situation of p*ssed off drivers cutting around them on the right.
2. Zone out.
I know it's hard to stay focused when you're in traffic. I know, but that's actually one of the most important times to stay focused. There's plenty of time to fantasize about what you're going to have for lunch or being literally anywhere else besides being stuck in traffic, but not if you're swapping insurance information with the car you just rear-ended.
3. Be distracted.
This goes hand in hand with the note above about staying focused. I can't tell you how frustrated I got when I saw the person behind me texting while we were in stop-and-go traffic. Now, I'm not talking about the kind of traffic where you could order a pizza and have it delivered 20 minutes later because you haven't moved. I'm talking about the kind of traffic where you go from 80 to 0 mph in a matter of seconds. Every time, I would hold my breath and hope that the person would catch their brakes in time to not rear end me.
4. Forget to fill up your gas tank before you leave.
I won't go into detail because I think you can imagine how this one ends.
5. Drive when you're tired.
Just don't do it. Don't try to reason with yourself. One of the most important things when commuting is reaction time, which is increased significantly when you're tired. Seriously, just pull off into a grocery store parking lot near your work building and take a quick nap before you hit the road. You'll thank yourself for it, and so will everyone who wasn't put in danger by your sleepy, slow reaction time.
6. Give in to your road rage.
This is absolutely my best piece of advice. Initially, I spent so much time getting frustrated with other cars for cutting me off and driving like you-know-whats. My horn never got so much exercise as it did during the first few weeks of my commute. I soon realized that these drivers didn't care, were never going to change, and were so numb that they didn't even register that I was honking at them. My blood pressure was through the roof, so I knew I had to make a change. I shifted the way I viewed commuting, as more of a collective effort to get everyone to their destination safely instead of a competition where every driver was pitted against one another.
