Driving in traffic

Garwin Beukes - With the ever increasing population in Windhoek, one thing has become more and more accessible. Cars. As a result the dreadful queues in the capital become longer annually.

Just an example - on average I take 40 minutes to get to work in Windhoek's central business district (CBD) and another 40 back, a route which should only take 10 minutes.

Apart from the wait, what are the risks of driving this way?

• The first thing I noticed was the amount of money you spend extra on petrol. An hour of extra driving can be quite costly on your monthly fuel budget.
• If you're driving a manual car, your clutch will definitely take a serious toll; most drivers have a habit of pressing down on their clutch pedal when waiting at a traffic light (that's a serious bad habit).
• Taxi's and other road users jumping queues are increasing the risk of being involved in an accident.
• Stress and road rage is real and a long line of cars definitely ads on, often causing risky manoeuvres to increase your speed.

Queues aren't all bad though. I've found that after a long hard day of work, driving home can help you blow off some steam. Especially when you love the car you drive. A long wait also builds up the desire to reach your destination. Studies have shown that this could be good for relationships and marriages as you long to see a partner even more.

The best part of it all for me is having the opportunity to listen to some soothing music or even turn up Chops as he entertains and informs us about what's going on in the world.