It all started with my VW Beetle. It was a 2004 model, and the first car I ever personally owned tha had cruise control. I loved driving it and would often find myself going ten, fifteen or even twenty miles over the speed limit. Speedtraps are common where I live, as are “double fine” zones - school zones, road construction, etc. - so it pays to be attentive.

I started using the cruise control in town, especially at night, and found it to take a surprising amount of stress out of driving. You don’t realize how much anxiety is wrapped up in having a police car pull up behind you, until you simply don’t care.

After a while, I got over the sensation of “going too slow” (as if travelling 50 feet per second was the same as walking), and began to “enjoy the ride.” My secret? I discovered that it takes me about the same amount of time to get wherever it is I’m going.

Soon, other benefits became apparent. I found myself catching fewer red lights, stopping for gas less often and cutting down on repairs (dad was right!).

About a year later, we bought a Passat. I was initially wary, because I thought the V6 engine would consume a lot of gas. It turns about to be pretty fuel efficient, though. It has one of those driving calculation displays that tells you mileage, drving time, average speed, etc. I try to see how high I can get the average mileage.

The current mileage indicator is fun, but I’ve gotten it up into triple digits (down a Lookout Mountain on I-95), so it isn’t terribly useful in that regard. It will tell you, however, that flooring it at the light gets you 3 MPG.

My average city mileage is 29 MPG, and on the highway, it’s 35 MPG, and in a 4-door V6.

I irritate the type A drivers, but that’s okay with me. I leave them to the cops I never worry about and the high-priced gas that I don’t need as much of, and I hum along on my way.

Slow and steady, it turns out, does win the race.