According to a study released today by the Texas Transportation Institute, the average city commuter wastes 38 hours in rush-hour traffic a year. If you find yourself among the unfortunate who must endure interstate parking lots on a twice daily basis, then perhaps you can turn that time from a waste into something worthwhile. Catholic audio products such as the Bible on tape, apologetics, spiritual talks and Catholic radio can really enhance and sanctify this time you spend in your auto. This is a great way to turn idle time into something enriching for mind and soul. Some like to pray a rosary while driving, but I do not like to do so myself since the rosary is a meditative prayer that calls for deep concentration, which I cannot give while I am paying attention to signs, bumbers and merges.
You Catholics in Los Angeles can especially utilize the time in your car to listen to Catholic audio products–you apparently average 72 hours a year of commuting, the worst of all major cities. Atlanta (60 hrs), San Francisco (60 hrs), Washington (60 hrs) and Dallas (58 hrs) round out the five most congested cities according to the study. My current city of residence, Houston, ranks 7th with an average of 58 hours of commuting time a year…and believe me, it is obvious. Check out CNN’s map for the other cities.