I've never understood the need to race around in a car. I've been commuting between Provo and Murray now for over twenty years, many times six or seven times a week. Of this commute, round trip, I'm on the freeway system for 44 miles each day, 22 miles each way. For those twenty odd years I've put the cruise control on 63 MPH and plugged along in the slow lane. As I drive along people race past, switching lanes, slamming on the brakes, accelerating to make the pass only to be slowed up again.
But lets do some math.
Its 22 miles of freeway driving to get from Provo to Murray where I exit the freeway. If I travel at 63 MPH it takes me 21 minutes of driving on the freeway. If I speed up to 75 MPH it takes me 18 minutes. In other words, if I race up there, weaving in and out of traffic, hitting the brakes, accelerating, getting mad at slow pokes, etc. If I do 75 MPH I get to work a whole 3 minutes sooner than if I enjoy my cruise control, books on tape, big gulp, and the far right slow lane at 63 MPH. And don't forget that the energy required to move an object is a function of the square of the velocity. That's another topic for another day.
Do the math.
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