By Staff Writer
There’s something significant about the first drive back after the holidays. The route is familiar, the car feels the same, yet everything around you has shifted. Traffic is thicker, the pace is quicker, and the calm of the festive break feels a little further away. This first commute isn’t about getting back into the swing of things at full speed. It’s about easing into the year, one kilometre at a time.
January driving requires a different mindset. Our bodies are still catching up after late nights, disrupted sleep and days that didn’t revolve around alarms. Reaction times are slower than we think, patience is thinner than we’d like, and yet the roads are suddenly full again. This is why the first week back deserves a gentler approach. Think of it as a warm-up lap, not a race.
Before you even turn the key, take a moment to reset. Adjust your seat and mirrors. Put your phone out of reach. Take one steady breath. These small rituals matter. They signal to your mind that it’s time to focus, even if the rest of your day already feels loud and demanding. Resetting your driving mindset before resetting your inbox might be one of the kindest things you do for yourself this week.
Out on the road, expect things to feel different. Drivers are readjusting, routines are being relearned and everyone seems to be in a hurry to prove that the year has started. Allow extra space. Leave earlier if you can. Let someone merge. Not because you’re giving up time, but because you’re choosing calm over tension. A relaxed driver is a safer driver.
This is also the week to drive with intention rather than emotion. Holiday frustrations have a way of surfacing in traffic, but engaging with impatience, your own or someone else’s, rarely ends well. If another driver is rushing, tailgating or weaving through traffic, let them go. Your responsibility is to arrive safely, not first.
The first commute of the year quietly sets the tone for all the others that follow. It’s a reminder that safety is not something we switch on only during long trips or bad weather. It’s a daily practice, shaped by awareness, readiness and choice.
As work resumes and routines return, allow your driving to be the steady constant in your day. Unhurried. Focused. Grounded. Because arriving safely is always more important than arriving early, and that’s a mindset worth carrying well beyond the first week back.
