Remember that tricky kids’ question:
“Would you rather get hit with a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers?” Hmm??
Sometimes the numbers involved in our decision-making or defining our perceptions can be a little difficult to get a handle on.
The 5 million missing emails that we hear about in the news. Gosh 5 million seems like quite a lot. Well, put into the real world of paper (you remember paper, the white stuff that makes your computer case really heavy) here’s the what the 5 million translates into.
- 24 tons of copy paper, or for those more interested in distance…
- A pile of paper one third of a mile high.
So if offered, choose the feathers.
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April 17th, 2007
NPR reported today that if you own a hybrid vehicle, you can drive in California’s HOV (2 or more occupants per vehicle) lanes even if you are the only one in the car, provided that you have a state issued approval sticker on your bumper.
Here’s the sticky part. The state only printed 85,000 of these stickers and no more. So if you buy a used Prius and it doesn’t have the sticker, you can’t drive in the left-hand lane. BUT if it does have the sticker, you might have to pay more for the used car. How much more? Turns out the average used car price with the sticker is about $4,000 more than without.
So here’s the question. If people are willing to pay $4,000 more for the privilege of driving solo in the HOV lane when they buy a used car, how much would people pay to buy a sticker to do the same? Could the state of California be foregoing a huge sum of revenue by not offering the sticker to anyone willing to pay a big price?
Everyday there’s hundreds of thousands of people who avoid paying the fine for driving illegally in the HOV lane and find themselves stuck in slow going congestion. I suspect that more than a few would pay for the privilege of a clear and fast path to where ever they’re going even if, and sometime especially if it is by themselves.
The ultimate question comes down to motivation. Why do people want to drive in the HOV lane? What personal interest is served by doing so? I bet it’s not to save the environment or helping to prevent global warming. In fact of the people who have 2 or more occupants in the vehicle, I’ll bet most of them didn’t think “Hey let’s ride together so we can use the HOV.” More likely they’re family members or working people traveling to a job site or meeting. The HOV becomes an opportunity of convenience to them rather than a commuting strategy.
But if used car buyers are willing to shell out four grand to ride alone in the fast lane, I’ll wager there’s many others who’d pay four large just for the sticker!
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April 17th, 2007
