Monday, September 4

Labor Day Driving

 Like most Americans, I am enjoying my day off from work...  even though I stopped working in 2015, eight years ago.


I suppose one could say that I am still working around the house, like mowing the yard, weed eating, and trimming bushes and trees...  although, I am not being paid to do this...  I am, however, NOT PAYING someone else to do it for me.


LABOR DAY is a federal holiday to thank people for busting their asses for management the rest of the year.  A day off is cheaper than increasing wages.


This morning on FOX News, it was reported that the WORST TIME TO TRAVEL (in a vehicle) was between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm...  WTF???   That would mean that you should drive during the night when others were sleeping.  That only makes sense to me, if someone else is driving the vehicle so you can sleep...  like a bus...  but then in a bus you cannot completely recline your seat.


Of course, and this would depend on the length of your drive, but you could leave at 4/5:00 am in the morning.  For instance, all of our travels are to Myrtle Beach, SC and back and it takes 6.5 hours.  If we left at 5:00 am, we would get home just before noon and experience minimal traffic problems.

If we left at 4:00 am we would experience even less, but who wants to get up at 3:00 am to leave at 4:00 am just to beat a little traffic?   The answer is young people who don't need much sleep would be willing to do that.


What I have discovered over the years is that speeding over the posted limits, does two things:

  • It burns more gasoline
  • You arrive 15-20 minutes earlier than expected
  • It increases your stress
  • It increase the potential of making a mistake


These days, I drive the speed limit or maybe 5 miles more (why 5 miles I do not know) and when I can I set the cruise control to maximize fuel efficiency.
These days, I make sure that I keep more than the normal distance between me and the car in front of me, because my reaction time is slower.
These days, I stop every two hours to walk around for 5 minutes.
These days, I allow 8 hours to make a 6.5 hour trip and 30-60 minutes to make a 3-4 hour trip, to reduce my stress caused by unexpected delays.



I am in NO HURRY to get where I am going.

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