Nobody likes to waste time. If it happens like clockwork – twice a day – it’s infuriating. Congestion is a time thief. The question is, how do you fight back?
Some people fight traffic by convincing themselves they can be productive on the drive. Checking Twitter, email or sending texts takes the driver’s eye off the road. Last year in Tennessee 38,000 reported accidents were tied to texting. Frustrated people, left alone in their car, make bad decisions.
When you have a passenger, do you text and drive? Do you drink and drive?
Two people in a car are safer than one, period. You’re more responsible with passengers and more engaged socially. If you’re going to be in traffic, it’s not a question of misery loving company (which may also be true) but it’s a fact that we want someone with us on those long drives. Carpooling is how you fight the time thief. Two people make our highways safer by taking one car off the road. So why don’t we do it?
Every day 350,000 cars pile into Davidson County to report for work. Going back to Rutherford County, 38,000 cars slug home while 21,000 slow walk back to Clarksville. Nearly every car has one occupant. Maybe we’re not in enough pain yet:
- The daily commute inside Rutherford County is 30 minutes!
- The average long distance commute on I-24 is over 70 minutes each way.
We can do better. This is a car centered culture. Responding to the flood in Nashville, we proved we are not a self centered culture. This means that we CAN become a car sharing culture. We just need a better tool to match empty seats with people going the same way. My team at Hytch has built an app for iOS and Android smart phones that can match friends, neighbors and co-workers with a common trip so they can share the ride. Download Hytch.me today and start using technology, leveraging your social network and the Hytch payment platform to share the cost of gas and fight traffic.
At the end of a long day, you should be looking forward to getting home. When you’re sharing the ride you might secretly look forward that commute too.
