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How could one million UPS drivers be wrong. Okay, so maybe there are not exactly one million UPS drivers in the world today, but every UPS driver who has worked since 2004, will undoubtedly know about the right turn theory.
Adopted by the UPS in 2004, the right turn theory is a very simple idea that takes into account that in general when we turn left we are usually faced with oncoming traffic, red lights, a long line of vehicles ahead of us, or in other words, basically a bit of a wait.
If we can arrange our destinations to include mostly right turns, and that may even involve choose a route that takes two right turns over one left, we can theoretically in some cases actually save on time, gas, and emissions spewed into the air.
Let's think about this. If you start in the lower right hand line of a square and need to get to the upper left hand corner, you have two choices of travel. You could either go straight up, then turn left, or you could turn right, go straight then make another right.
While the right turn route is the farther distance by a few yards, in some instances it may actually be the better choice. Let's say for instance that the particular left turn that is awaiting you on the above street corner is busy and there is a long line of vehicles. It may take up to two or three cycles of lights before you can actually turn.
In this case, it may actually behoove you to take the slightly longer route of right turns, where you will not have to wait for oncoming traffic or green arrows. It just depends on the traffic and the particular streets that you are dealing with.
Now, if you are faced with two of the exact same distance paths, one filled with left turns and one with rights, it is almost always better to use the one with the right turns. It is just basic logistics, because the chances of you being held up at a left turn are usually greater than at a right turn.
In just four short months of adopting this practice in New York City, the UPS spared its citizens some 1,000 metric tons of CO2 smog. Now just imagine if we all could adopt this theory on occasion when it is practical and appropriate.
This of course only works in countries where the right hand side of the road is driven. For the left hand side of the road countries, you would want to focus your attention on left turns.
With all this being reported, it is also important to remember that your tires will be affected by this theory and will need to be rotated on a regular schedule (roughly every 5,000 to 10,000 miles) if you follow through with this advice.
Reason being, you are actually wearing your tires unevenly if you turn one direction more substantially than the other (which we tend to do by a certain degree anyway). By rotating your tires on a regular schedule you will be able to compensate for this uneven wear and your tires should be able to maintain a long life of service.
Just a helpful tip from your friendly, non-disgruntled UPS driver.
More on tires:
Greensburg Glossary: Scrap Tires
Recycled Rubber from Tires, Ready-to-Assemble Bags by Modulab
Old-School: $11 of Mods + New Tires = 25% Better Fuel Economy
More on UPS:
UPS Unveils "World's Most Efficient Delivery Vehicle"
UPS Delivering Small Packages With Small Vehicles
UPS Deploys 167 Compressed Natural Gas Trucks
UPS's New Hydraulic Hybrid Available For Test Ride In NYC
UPS To Spend $600 Million On Improving Efficiency
UPS Delivers: European Business Leaders Care About The Environment More Than Their US Counterparts
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