As an automobile driver, navigating through heavy traffic can be one of the most frustrating experiences in the world. The seemingly endless slowdown can evoke tremendous stress as short trips are turned into extensive waits. Avoiding traffic entirely is impossible, though there are important techniques that can help minimize the frustrating. To make your next slog through a congestion roadway a bit more manageable, here are a few helpful things to keep in mind.

1. Accept the inevitability of the slowdown. When traffic beings to materialize ahead, there is little that can be done to avoid it; unless an alternative route is available and accessible, you will be forced to wait. Contrary to the belief of many drivers, there are no secret lanes that allow you to pass through congestion faster than those on the road with you. As a courtesy to your fellow driver, and as a means of limiting your frustrations, understand that traffic will slow your commute. By becoming angry, not only will the wait seem to increase, but you can be influenced to make dangerous maneuvers that introduce the possibility of an accident; giving you something to really be upset about. Instead, make yourself comfortable, and be patient; things will begin to clear before you know it.

2. In traffic, keep to the same lane. Many drivers attempt to scoot through traffic faster by constantly moving between lanes. Though this may work in putting you a handful of car lengths ahead of where you would be if you remained in the same lane, the slowing effect it has on everyone around you more than outdoes the miniscule improvement in your position on the road. When vehicles are constantly changing lanes, the flow of traffic is repeatedly interrupted, preventing any possibility for a consistent pace to be achieved.

See Full Story on lessonsofsafety.com