Originally Posted by victorbravo

! That's what I get for reading while driving. (Really, I don't, but I've seen others do it on the freeway. The most egregious I got was to read while plowing).

Andrew, redeeming the time is the big deal. I try to follow the traffic laws in our area mostly for peace of mind--I don't have to worry about looking over my shoulder.

But road rage is a pretty big deal in my locality. Gunshots, people wielding baseball bats, etc. I do think an attitude of constant prayer helps with a commute (Mine is about an hour and a half--sometimes less--one way). I try to let people in for merging, give space, be consistent in my driving pattern, signal, etc.

In heavy traffic one rule seems consistent. The guy who tailgates me, swerves radically to change lanes, jockeys for position, and otherwise tries to get ahead, almost invariably is right next to me at the first stop light after an hour of driving. At best he may have beat me by 2 or 3 minutes.

He is running on adreniline and ready to blow a gasket. I've been listening to a sermon or to Bach and am ready to go to work.

So, to a great extent, following the rules of common courtesy and not letting your evil side get the upper hand is really self-preservation. And it is preservation of others too.