Traffic jams

Having an app that tells us the distance and time to get somewhere is novel.

We become so reliant that it changes our behavior when we should leave somewhere.

Before apps, the answer was to give yourself plenty of time. Before MapQuest, you had maps and gas stations—it was a total guess to a new place.

Now? Wait until the last minute. We have eliminated the need to decide about when and are now told when.

Of course, when we are always cutting it close or continue to take shortcuts, we don’t build the resilient system needed to take on the unexpected.

Traffic is always changing.