People who drive greater lengths also have higher rates of absenteeism, due primarily to colds or flu. If driving in rush-hour traffic raises your hackles, try revising your work schedule. Leave for the office a little earlier and stay a little later. Better still, find a fitness center near your workplace and exercise for an hour. By properly timing your departures, you can avoid the peak commuting periods.
Car pooling offers advantages to the commuter that go beyond fuel economy.
Handing the driving responsibilities over to someone else allows you to divert your attention from the traffic, freeing you to read, drink a cup of coffee, or even close your eyes and rest for a few moments. And having others to talk to can make the time spent sitting in a freeway snarl go by a lot faster. You can't do anything to control conditions outside your car, but the interior environment is yours to do with as you please. If you don't have a cassette player in your car, consider purchasing one. Listening to your favorite songs or a really good book on tape can make the drive so enjoyable that you may not want to hurry to your destination.