Commuter Hell Is Still No Reason to Cheat

Traffic.  Ever since moving to Northern Virginia in 2002, I've heard all about how bad the traffic is here.  And it is bad.  But having lived in California, both in Silicon Valley and in LA, I have long since made my peace with gridlock. 

It took me a while to learn in California that the number of miles my commute was had no bearing on the number of minutes it would take to arrive at my destination -- my 40-mile commute took less time than my 15-mile commute.  The major hang up was a toll bridge I had to take unless I wanted to take a tour of the entire Bay Area by driving around rather than across the Bay -- neither option was going to get me to my destination in under an hour.

Suffice it to say that I have paid my commuter blues dues.

So when I read news stories about how the number of HOV (commuter) lane violators is getting so high that there are now putting police officers on overtime to catch them, it makes me a little crazy.  Earlier this year, the Washington Post did a database search of drivers who had racked up 10 or more HOV violations.  People are paying $1,000 or more in fines just so they can get to work (or return home) faster.

Seriously?  Seriously, you are paying $1,000 so you can get to work faster?  Does this make sense? 

I know, I know, getting stuck in traffic can make you go a bit insane at times, I've been there.  But my goodness, the things you can do in cars today is much better than you could even 10 years ago.  With satellite radio, MP3 players, audio books you can download to MP3 players, and (if you are at a truly dead stop), texting and Internet connections at your fingertips in the car, there are so many ways to keep road rage at bay when stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.  So much can be done via cell phones these days -- what is the rush to get to the office?  At a recent business conference a fellow attendee told me he actually plans all his follow-up calls to occur during his commute time -- he uses his Bluetooth technology to keep things safe and finds that this makes his long ride home far less stressful.

Cheating is cheating.  Whether it is on an academic exam, a board game, or in traffic, it is still cheating.  When you ride solo in the HOV lane, you are thumbing your nose at those who are following the rules, saying "My time is more important than yours, I'm too busy to play by the rules."  You add to the very traffic congestion problems you are railing against.  There is a reason why people honk and cheer as police officers pull over HOV violaters -- everyone else who is following the rules feels personally violated by the infraction and feels a wee bit of victory when the cheaters get caught.

If life has gotten so out of whack that you are breaking laws and thumbing your nose at society, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate things.  There may be some healthier, creative solutions and they may not cost as much as racking up HOV violation fines.  If you are setting your alarm clock for 3 am, sleeping on the side of the highway waiting for the clock to flip over so you can get into the HOV lane, or blatantly breaking the law, maybe something needs to give.

This is an original post for DC Metro Moms Blog.  When she's not in her car, JavaMom is blogging at Caffeine And A Prayer.

Photo credit: Copyright istockphoto.com/Rick Rhay