OHW Presents: Slugging on the H.O.V.

BREAKDOWN
If you live in the Metro DC area then you arent a stranger to the congestion of traffic that will turn a 30-minute commute into a 1.5-2 hour commute at the blink of an eye. The geniuses at V-DOT came up with some extra highway lanes but they are only for cars with at least three passengers. Guess they want to promote carpooling and help out our environment.

WHY I SLUG
After a year of leaving my house at an ungodly hour just to drive 30 miles to the office in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I decided to give "slugging" a try. Slugging allows commuters to ride the HOV lanes without having to organize their own personal carpooling crews. It's simple! Riders (Slugs) park at designated commuter lots and then stand in line to be picked up by drivers (Scrapers) on their way to wherever.

PROS
When I first began slugging, I preferred to "scrape" because I felt safer and more in control of my time. I even joked that I was like a john cruising down the red light district. Sometimes I would start singing, Donna Summer's, "Bad Girls" when I picked slugs up, but many were not amused by my insinuation that they were prostitutes. Even still, I would say, "Toot toot! HAAAA! Beep beep! to friendly riders. They usually got a kick out of that.

THE SWITCH
Although I was most definitely enjoying an easier commute and could leave the house at a decent hour (much later than before) Eventually, I began riding. I found that being a slug did not control my time as much as I thought it would, and the benefits of slugging far outweighed those in scraping. I saved money on gas, wear-and-tear on my car and I wasnt as tired at the end of the workday because I wasnt the one behind the wheel fighting traffic! Oh, and if you're in the market to buy a new car but unsure which one to go with, slugging can definitely help you make up your mind!

CONS
Forrest Gump proclaimed, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get!" How true that holds for the life of an HOV slug. I've been in all types of vehicles with many different drivers. There are the ones who drive fast, those who drive too slow; radio listeners, non-radio listeners and then there are the drivers with political agendas. Oy Vey!

HOV ADVENTURES
The life of a slugger is an exciting one and oftentimes can be adventurous. Once I had a very smelly driver. I will never get into that black Mercedes again. And once I rode with a guy in a white Ford Explorer who wouldnt turn on the air conditioning during 90-degree weather!

Yesterday a fellow slug of mine and I got into different cars one behind the other. We (unbeknown to the drivers) had a race. My friend's driver passed us a few times, but in the end my driver was victorious and got me to the commuter lot first! We were texting updates the entire drive and criticizing the way our scrapers drove. And before that, an older lady jumped the line! Boy were people upset! There is an etiquette to slugging and some people simply refuse to follow along.

All in all, I hope I never have to drive on the main road again. I don't miss the longer commute and sitting in traffic all day!

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HOV-phobia... Do you have the guts to ride?

You're running late for work and you know how jammed the highway is going to be with traffic. There are HOV lanes near your house that you know are open in the direction you are heading, but alas, the sign says "HOV-3 and MOTORCYCLES ONLY".

What do you do? You only have a few minutes after you get on the highway to make the decision. Then as the onramp gets closer, you have a mere few seconds to make a break for it, or pass it by.

Are you going to comply with the law or break it?

I'm known as a risk-taker, but seriously, you have to have some major cajoles to jump on the HOV alone. I have to admit that I have ridden the HOV alone twice, but the entire time my heart was pounding. And before I could get on, I was wrestling with the idea the entire time it took me to get from my house to the onramp. I was arguing in my head, and it went something like:

Bad me: "You know you're gonna be late. You should probably take the HOV today."
Good me: "Yeah, sure. And risk getting a ticket? I don't think so. It's not worth it man."
Bad me: "Not worth it? Ok, so you'd rather make a normally 30 minute trip turn into an hour, because you're afraid? Don't you see all those cars with one person in them? You know you won't get pulled over, so just do it!"
Good me: "Ehhh, maybe I should. There are a lot of single passenger cars getting on, I see."
Bad me: Yessssss. Go ahead, do it.
Good me: (At the last second) "AGHHHHH I can't!"

Then I'm fussing the rest of the way, as I sit in traffic telling myself I should have gotten on. I do it almost every day.

The thought of having to pay a ticket in the range of $1,000 plus is a mighty big deterrent for me. Yet, I see so many people every day violate. I'm thinking they must know something I don't. Or maybe they are in such a rush they are willing to take the risk.

A friend of mine says the key is driving between two other violators, so if the Trooper stops someone, it most certainly will not be you. That makes sense, but I'm not sure how effective that is. I'm trying to hash out the probability in my mind, but I'm not a mathematician. As you can tell, I'm a writer. So I usually play it safe and follow the rules.

Today I got caught up in a little jam and I longingly looked over to my left at the cars whizzing past, driving all happily along in the HOV lanes. I noticed half a dozen cars with only a single occupant and I felt the heat rise from my belly as I watched them pass me. I hate those people. I hate them because they have more courage than I do. I hate them because they don't get caught. And most of all, I hate them because they didn't have to wake up a half hour earlier to accommodate the traffic.

When I do see someone pulled over on the HOV I get so happy. I dance in my seat, and wave at them. But that doesn't happen often enough to even out the hate I feel for the ones who got away.

So question is, do you ride the HOV when you shouldn't?