Leaving Early Part of Commuting Survival

Like other clever species, seasoned L.A. commuters have adapted to their environment. Drivers often add 10 to 30 minutes to each trip, knowing that a highway headache is likely.

"We have to imagine it and give ourselves extra time before going anywhere," said Rabia Kahraman, 25, of Northridge, who gives herself an extra half-hour to get downtown on Friday afternoons.

Getting on the road earlier than your neighbor gives many of us a buffer in coping with unpredictable traffic. But when your neighbor catches on - and more and more are - the buffer simply evaporates. That's one of the reasons Los Angeles commuters spend a total of 623,796,000 hours a year sitting in traffic, says Tim Lomax, research engineer for the Texas Transportation Institute.

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