In a hurry much? (Part 2)

My previous post talked about actual time calculations which is relatively useless to the average person.  Interesting maybe, but not worth it to stop speeding.  Am I right?  However, what also intrigues me is the affect speeding has on how we feel.  Besides being an engineer I'm also fascinated by psychology.

I like to be the subject of my own little experiments at times, and this speeding one was a simple one I could do because I commute everyday to school.  The rules of the experiment were I had to drive the speed limit everywhere I went, and then examine how I felt.  Pretty simple.

I did this for a few weeks, and continued to do it.  Despite people passing me all the time, I was actually enjoying driving at a slower pace; not really worried about what time I got to my destination.  Removing that as a primary concern eliminated any anxiety and stress.  I noticed I felt better at school, and I felt better at home too.

I have one last story of a man's experience switching from driving to work to taking public transportation.  This is someone I know personally.  What I've been told is that this man would most of the time come home already upset, with built up stress, and frustration.  Could be from work, maybe.  After several years of this routine he decided to switch to public transportation to get to work.  Even within a few days, this man's wife noticed a huge difference when he got home.  So quite possibly by removing himself from the act of driving, he removed the other things as well.  Results being having less stress, less frustration, and being more patient.

So if you've got the time, and you'd like to see if it really makes a difference, do what I did and try it out. All it takes is some self-will and a curious mind.  There will be one final part to this segment.

In a hurry much? (Part 1)

Let's put together a few facts here.  The majority of drivers drive over speed limit, why?  Because they can and consider their chances of being pulled over are next to nil if everyone else around them is driving the same speed.  I'm an engineer and numbers help explain things for me, so let's consider 4 common drivers, who drive at 65 mph, 70 mph, 75 mph, and 80 mph.

If you want to double check my calculations the equation to get time is just distance divided by velocity (Distance/Velocity).  If you want minutes instead of hours just multiply by 60 (min/hr).  I travel about a 30 mile commute to school so those time values would be cut in half.  

So if I were to travel 15 more mph then I would save about 5 minutes of time.  The question to ask, is 5 minutes worth it?  Could I leave 5 minutes earlier and make the time up that way?  The actual calculations show that I would save a few minutes, but here's what I'm thinking.  If I set apart time to leave earlier, say 5 minutes, I will be on time just the same.