Rush hour. Did you just tense up? It's no wonder - traffic is a big cause of stress. There are several ways to avoid it; today we'll cover just one. [Play heavenly music] The HOV lane. The "high occupancy vehicle" abbreviation was never that intuitive for us, and we were pretty convinced for a while that it was "humans on vehicle". Either way, that's the special lane that for several hours each day will let carpoolers go a little (or a lot) faster than the rest.

Carpooling is great for the environment, and your wallet. By sharing a ride with people coming and going in the same basic direction, you save on gas and help decongest roads. And who knows, your stress level just might go down. Wikipedia suggests that there is even another element involved: "Carpools may provide social connections in an increasingly disconnected society." Sure, we'll buy that. But we're not going to sell the benefits too much - they are obvious.

So why don't more people carpool? We're pretty sure it boils down to the fear of lack of independence. You're concerned that if you need to go somewhere, or leave early or late - then what will you do? Our suggestion is to try it before you knock it. Many cities and states run official carpool programs. They allow you to type in your starting point and destination, and receive a list of available rides, or requested rides that fit your needs. Some even provide a certain number of taxi coupons per year, in case you need to go home early or late one day.

Find any official programs by searching for carpool, vanpool, or rideshare in your local area. Also check out the Rideshare Directory for national and state listings of services. Plus, to get your carpool started off in the right direction, check out Wikipedia's Steps to Carpooling Success, which includes discussing "possible irritants" like cell phone use or smoking.

Okay, we said we weren't going to sell you, but money talks. Calculate your potential savings.

Rebecca says: Imagine what our roads would be like if everyone carpooled. Imagine getting to work faster because you can ride in the carpool lane. Speaking as someone that has no commute - if you can't live near where you work, do what you can to make your trip less costly to the environment, your pocketbook, and your time. Who knows, you might just gain an extra hour or two of your life back everyday.