10 Best Things About LA Traffic

Living in LA has its perks: the weather is always beautiful, you can snowboard and swim in the ocean all in the same day, you’re likely to run into a celebrity at least once a week and somehow the majority of your friends are always free to hang out during the day. Because of all of the great things LA has to offer, it’s one of the most congested cities in the U.S., and it’s no surprise that LA traffic is a huge problem. No matter the time of day, you have to factor in at least 20 extra minutes driving time (sometimes even an hour or two), even if you’re just going down the street. You gotta take the bad with the good sometimes. And sometimes, it’s good to turn the bad into good.

While traffic can be a major bummer, let’s look at some of the reasons why sitting in LA traffic can actually be pretty great:

1. You can catch up with family and friends.

If you have a handsfree device or bluetooth built into your car, traffic can be a great time to catch up with people you haven’t talked to in a while or haven’t had time to call back. They don’t need to know that you’re stuck in the car with nothing else to do.

2. You can listen to a book on tape.

Sometimes there just isn’t enough time to read a book, but there are so many books you’ve been wanting to read. Pick up a book on tape if you’re still living in 1995, or download a copy onto iTunes if you’ve made it to 2014. It’ll pass the time and help you not stress about sitting in traffic.

3. You can practice stress management. 

Let’s face it, traffic is stressful. You have somewhere to be, but all of these people are in your way. Don’t they realize you’re going to be late? Shouldn’t they be at work or at home having dinner? It’s the middle of the night, shouldn’t everyone be sleeping? They should be doing those things just as much as you should be. Allow yourself to relax and understand that you aren’t the only person trying to get somewhere.

4. Celebrities have to sit in traffic too.

Just knowing that your favorite celebrities also have to sit in traffic should really brighten your traffic experience. Madonna recently posted an Instagram picture of herself sitting in traffic on the 405, and I instantly felt better about the ridiculous amount of time I spend in traffic. Of course, she was being chauffeured. But still. Traffic.

5. You are forced to slow down.

Everyone is always in such a hurry. There are so many places to be and so little time to get there. Unfortunately, that means that a lot of us are driving too fast (raise your hand if you’ve gotten a speeding ticket and had to shell out hundreds of dollars and too many hours of your time in traffic school). Sitting in traffic means going 5 miles per hour. You’re safer that way.

6. You can finally call your health insurance company.

Because everyone knows it takes at least 3 hours to get through to them.

7. You can sing and no one will hear you.

Unless your windows are down.

8. You can eat.

Sometimes life is so busy that we forget to eat (that’s never actually happened to me, but I’ve heard it exists). Bring your food in the car and eat it. If anything, you should always have snacks at arms reach for situations like traffic.

9. You can pick your nose.

Listen, I know the majority of humans think picking your nose is repulsive, but every single human does it, and we’ve all had worse things on our fingers. Sitting in traffic is a great time to do it, because it’s time we stand up to society and say, “No, Society! Picking your nose is a natural thing!” So, who cares if the person in the car next to you sees? Let’s start a movement! But keep some wet naps close by.

10. You can leave LA. 

You have the free will to take a vacation or move to a different city. You’re not stuck in LA. Unless you’re in traffic. Then you’re stuck.

See? Traffic isn’t so bad (if we say it enough times we may actually believe it).

Featured image via Transportblog