Trip of 372 miles a day to work wins commuter contest prize

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | April 17, 2006 | Shane Graber and Elisa Crouch

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

So maybe it does pay to drive a lot.

Back in January, we told you about a Midas contest to see who has the longest commute. Dave Givens of Mariposa, Calif., won the grand prize of $10,000 in gas money for driving 186 miles every day to work.

Rick Dow, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Midas, said in a news release that all that gas money sure will come in handy.

"Let's face it, he needs all the help he can get," Dow said.

Givens, an electrical engineer in San Jose, Calif., drives 372 miles round trip, a journey that takes about seven hours a day. And he's been making the commute since 1989.

"I have a great job and my family loves the ranch where we live," he said in the release. "I listen to the radio and keep my eyes on the road. I also drink a lot of coffee."

Unfortunately for him, his car drinks a lot of gas. His 2005 Honda Accord burns about $200 a week of the stuff, a Midas spokesman told us. Imagine if Givens drove a gas guzzler. If gas prices stay put, the Midas winnings might last him through Christmas.

The car itself, however, might give out sooner. It's clocked 75,000 miles already.

The contest drew close to 3,000 entries nationwide. The second place winner was Jeffrey Haussy of Georgetown, Ill., who drives 350 miles a day.

A few people wrote to tell us about their commute. As far as we could tell, Dave Nestler of St. Robert, Mo., takes the local prize. He drives 268 miles a day to and from work in Maryland Heights. He and his family will start looking for a house in St. Louis in June.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Just damn...

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

PING!

[TSgt]

3 hours one way and 6 hours total in a car every day?

No thanks...

[BenLurkin]

I once met a guy who was commuting from Bakersfield to Los Angeles everyday.

He do it for very long though.

[Moose4]

Let's see, with my 1996 Dodge Ram with 147,000 miles on it, getting 13 mpg, 372 miles round trip per day = the gross national product of Latvia, per month.

OK. Maybe only Turkmenistan if I get it tuned up soon.

}:-)4

[starfish923]

This is the "stupid" prize for the longest commute/stupid contest? Geez.
Commutes of that long are soul-breakers. There are ALWAYS options, other choices, always. People paint themselves into a corner, then say "Look, I have no choice." Choices made BEFORE the long commute are the options/choices I'm talking about.
Anyone who chooses to paint himself into that kind of corner (between the rock and the hard place) isn't playing with a full deck.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. He spends 8 hours a day in his office and 7 hours a day in his car. That's quality of life?

[mysterio]

I used to commute 1 hour 15 minutes each way. It was almost unbearable. Now it's 40 minutes, and that's quite a bit better.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Housing in Northern California is so expensive, that lots of middle class people have moved far inland where they can afford to live.

[cripplecreek]

I did a 6 hour commute for about three weeks. When the job was done I told them "never call me unless the job is an hour away or less".

[ClaireSolt]

That's right. And keep the price of gas under $1.

[MikefromOhio]

damn


I remember when I was driving from the eastside of Columbus to WPAFB in Dayton. That was around 160 miles a day.

I only did it for 4 months. Screw driving :)

[Nuc1]

With the gas money he is spending and auto depreciation and repairs I bet he could buy a used Cessna 152 and fly to work. It would give him a lot more family time.

[Revelation 911]

he needs to learn how to pilot an ultralight