Generally, speed limits are set for the maximum safe speed on roadways. A different approach uses Variable Speed Limit (VSL) signs that change dynamically to avoid heavy congestion or accidents.
It may seem counterintuitive, but slower speeds increase the number of cars that can travel on the road. As driver anxiety decreases, the distance between vehicles declines, and stop-and-go reduces.
Germany saw travel times increase by up to 15 percent, crashes decrease by 30 percent, and car volume increase by 5 percent. Similarly, in the UK, property damage-only crashes decreased by 20 percent.1
Slowing Down
Traffic is one area of my life where I watch frustration come, and I let it go (mostly). I can recognize the thought for what it is and put it back on the shelf. It wasn’t always this way. I attribute this growth to age, audible, and adaptive cruise control. Meditation deserves some credit too.
I’d ask you don’t poll my family, as they often hear me mutter, “rubbing is racing,” while my race car driver dreams manifest on road trips.
Heading home one afternoon, Waze told me that the next left was mine. I looked to the right and saw the brake lights building - open roads ahead. Then it struck me:
I notice when traffic is bad, not when it’s good.
What is frustration?
Frustration occurs when a person is blocked from reaching their desired outcome2. Essentially, I’m upset because I did not get what I wanted. More free space on my calendar, a spot on the sixth-grade baseball team, tsway tickets (looking at you, Ticketmaster), or chic-fil-a sauce.
Whether in traffic or tussling with my teenager, the frustration I’m talking about is a selfish emotion. The Dalai Lama framed frustration well when he said3,
“…frustrations, confusion, and pain result from selfish attitudes.”
Opening Up
My regrets in life revolve around my anger and frustration.
Frustration brings choices - I can be complicit, complaining, complacent, or correcting.
At a minimum, I can change my perspective, which requires slowing down and asking some questions. What matters? Am I helping or hurting? What am I missing?
Marcus Aurelius provides great counsel when he says,
Everywhere, at each moment, you have the option:
to accept this event with humility
to treat this person as they should be treated
to approach this thought with care so that nothing irrational creeps in4
I've been leaning on these words lately. When I slow down enough to recognize my frustration or anger, I repeat them to myself. It's working, and I wanted to share them with you. I hope you find them helpful.
I hope you're good out there. Safe driving, friends.
ttps://policy.tti.tamu.edu/strategy/variable-speed-limits/
https://www.psychologistanywhereanytime.com/mobile/emotional_problems_psychologist/pyschologist_frustration.htm
Lama, Dalai. The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Inner Peace (p. 275). Hampton Roads Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Safe Operating Speed