BlackBerry While Driving

Erik Lacitis, writing in the Seattle Times, explains how BlackBerry tapping caused a car-crunching chain reaction on Interstate Highway 5. A 53 year-old man “fiddling with his BlackBerry, was cruising down Interstate 5's express lanes Tuesday morning in his minivan, oblivious that traffic ahead had come to a dead stop…”

“His minivan smashed into a car, setting off a chain reaction that included three other cars and a Community Transit bus, which was carrying 28 passengers. No one was seriously injured, but the accident near downtown Seattle underscores the dangers of driving while preoccupied with electronic gadgets, other passengers and even ‘driver grooming,’ according to a state study.”

“The driver of the first car rear-ended by the minivan was a 36-year-old Lake Forest Park woman whose 5-month-old son was in a car seat in the back seat. The woman and her son were in satisfactory condition and staying overnight for observation at Harborview Medical Center, according to a spokeswoman.”

This is sheer madness, a vision of future insanity: Imagine losing your life because someone is moronic enough to believe he can navigate a 3000 pound, potentially lethal vehicle while diverting his attention to a device with tiny buttons… May the offender get a stiff prison sentence.

Adjusting to Gridlock

Does it seem as if it's taking you longer merely to drive a few blocks? It's not your imagination--and it's not going to subside soon. More densely packed urban areas have resulted in gridlock. And our population and road use grow faster than our ability to repair our highways and bridges. Three quarters of the nation's 575,000 bridges were built before 1938, and nearly half are structurally deficient. Meanwhile, city planners report that there will be no clear solution to gridlock for decades.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to take personal control. Beat the traffic by getting up earlier, or later. Ask your boss if you can work flextime or at home a couple days a week. If you drive to work, put your CD player to use. I recommend listening to books on cassette, or relaxing with music of your own choice. Commute with people you enjoy talking to, not merely those who live nearby or work close to where you do.

Of course, you can move closer to your job, telecommute, change your job, or self-employ. Otherwise, recognize that gridlock will always be a part of your life.

Stress of Getting to the Airport

Simply getting to the airport has become increasingly stressful in the last few years. (Nevermind TSA), consider the following:

1. You have to pack the night before or very early that morning, and that in itself is an unusual burden. Then, largely because people are going to bed later and sleeping fewer hours per night you need to get to bed at a reasonable hour and get up on time.

2. Unless you've allowed plenty of time to get ready in the morning, you have to dress and groom yourself more quickly, and get out the door at a specific time.

3. Then there's the trip to the airport. If you're driving, you have to make sure your car is in tune, hope that the traffic won't be too bad, and that there will be no other circumstances that prevent your timely arrival. If you're taking a taxi or shuttle, you still have to hope that it comes on time, and that it doesn't experience the same problems on the road that you might have.

Urban Areas with Worst Traffic

The 10 urban areas with the heaviest traffic:

1. Los Angeles
2. San Francisco
3. Seattle
4. Washington
5. Chicago
6. San Diego
7. Boston
8. Portland, Ore.
9. Atlanta
10. Las Vegas