Angry people get less miles per gallon (MPG) on their vehicles. Think about it.
Recently I was talking with a good friend of mine who works for Subaru and extolling how I got 31 MPG on my Crosstrek. That is a high end for the car.
He remarked on how I must drive conservatively. He was impressed that I got that many miles per gallon.
Then he said something to the effect of, “Angry people get fewer MPG.” We both laughed. I knew he was right and he knew what he was talking about.
Angry people drive too fast. They accelerate rapidly, stomping the pedal. They blow by people on roads when they don’t need to, when they could hold space and distance behind the car in front of them, and then casually move ahead when a safe opportunity presents itself.
But, no, that is not how they drive or live. Instead, the days and driving time are marred by a jarring sense of having to get ahead, of speeding, of arriving first, like it is their personal badge of honor.
I’m often struck by watching cars zoom past me on the interstate, weaving in and out of traffic, while I keep my cruise control at seven miles per hour (MPH) over the speed limit. That’s breaking the law, but in a seemingly accepted manner on most highways.
That’s not good enough for the angry speedster though. He comes FLYING up behind you as you see him looming in your rearview mirror and decide safely to pull to the right so he (and it is ALMOST ALWAYS a “he”) blast by while practicing for the Indianapolis 500. Once he passes, you marvel at his ability to zig and zag past others, and that there’s never a state patrol car right when you wish there was one to teach him a lesson.
The lesson would be to slow down, and not endanger others. At the same time, he might come to understand that letting go of anger improves his MPG.
Doubtfully that would be the case because I don’t think people like that are self-aware. The very fact of their angry driving proves it. They only care about themselves, where they are headed, and seemingly doing so in the fastest way possible, even though if you plod along, you often find yourself catching up to these maniacs when you exit and pause at a stoplight. “Hey buddy, good to see you got two miles ahead of me on the interstate so I could catch up to you here now that we’ve exited.”
Angry driving means you stop and start erratically, lowering the MPG. If they would ease into stoplights and coast down hills, letting momentum help the engine, they might find their gasoline bills decreasing on a monthly basis.
That’s unlikely to happy because the angry driver, quite frankly, is angry. He doesn’t want to listen to others. He doesn’t want to learn. He doesn’t consider those around him. He is selfish and dangerous.
You may know someone like this. You may recognize how hard it is to get that person to see their behavior for what it is. If you’re very lucky, you may get him to slow down. Don’t count on it, so keep pulling over when you see him coming in the rearview mirror.
Recently I was talking with a good friend of mine who works for Subaru and extolling how I got 31 MPG on my Crosstrek. That is a high end for the car.
He remarked on how I must drive conservatively. He was impressed that I got that many miles per gallon.
Then he said something to the effect of, “Angry people get fewer MPG.” We both laughed. I knew he was right and he knew what he was talking about.
Angry people drive too fast. They accelerate rapidly, stomping the pedal. They blow by people on roads when they don’t need to, when they could hold space and distance behind the car in front of them, and then casually move ahead when a safe opportunity presents itself.
But, no, that is not how they drive or live. Instead, the days and driving time are marred by a jarring sense of having to get ahead, of speeding, of arriving first, like it is their personal badge of honor.
I’m often struck by watching cars zoom past me on the interstate, weaving in and out of traffic, while I keep my cruise control at seven miles per hour (MPH) over the speed limit. That’s breaking the law, but in a seemingly accepted manner on most highways.
That’s not good enough for the angry speedster though. He comes FLYING up behind you as you see him looming in your rearview mirror and decide safely to pull to the right so he (and it is ALMOST ALWAYS a “he”) blast by while practicing for the Indianapolis 500. Once he passes, you marvel at his ability to zig and zag past others, and that there’s never a state patrol car right when you wish there was one to teach him a lesson.
The lesson would be to slow down, and not endanger others. At the same time, he might come to understand that letting go of anger improves his MPG.
Doubtfully that would be the case because I don’t think people like that are self-aware. The very fact of their angry driving proves it. They only care about themselves, where they are headed, and seemingly doing so in the fastest way possible, even though if you plod along, you often find yourself catching up to these maniacs when you exit and pause at a stoplight. “Hey buddy, good to see you got two miles ahead of me on the interstate so I could catch up to you here now that we’ve exited.”
Angry driving means you stop and start erratically, lowering the MPG. If they would ease into stoplights and coast down hills, letting momentum help the engine, they might find their gasoline bills decreasing on a monthly basis.
That’s unlikely to happy because the angry driver, quite frankly, is angry. He doesn’t want to listen to others. He doesn’t want to learn. He doesn’t consider those around him. He is selfish and dangerous.
You may know someone like this. You may recognize how hard it is to get that person to see their behavior for what it is. If you’re very lucky, you may get him to slow down. Don’t count on it, so keep pulling over when you see him coming in the rearview mirror.