Call it irony or coincidence, but when a story on the radio announced a study had found Perth drivers spend three full days a year stuck in traffic, I had already been on the road to work for more than an hour – and was nowhere near my office.
It could have been another April Fool's Day prank getting a run in the morning but it was too real and close for comfort.
My conservative commute calculation had me notching up about three hours a day in the car to and from the Fairfax Media offices from the northern suburbs.
That's a minimum of 15 hours a week or - taking out weeks off for holiday - about 690 hours a year behind the wheel.
That's 28.75 days a year of my life in my car – and I don't even have a drinks holder.
In its annual traffic index released on Wednesday, computer mapping company TomTom found Perth's traffic congestion levels had not improved since last year and we were spending an extra 19 minutes for an average 30-minute commute each day.
And all that increased time spent on the road by Perth commuters is flowing over and impacting driver behaviour
During the survey period I have had a front-driver's seat view - and a few spare hours to occupy my time.
There are the drivers who continuously check their phones while driving, looking like a bobble-head dog, then braking at the last moment creating a chain reaction.
Twice the driver in the car behind has been too preoccupied on their phones, failed to stop in time and crashed into me. I no longer wash my car, there is no point. Paint doesn't scrub off.
Then there was the P-plate driver behind me who in between checking her phone as we inched our way towards the CBD chose to turn her little hatchback into a kitchen and eat breakfast cereal from a bowl.
After a couple of rear-end close calls, no matter how hard I tried, the death stare did not translate through the rear-vision mirror and she continued to merrily munch on her muesli (or whatever).
I've never been more relieved to have a 160-tonne truck slip in the gap behind me and separate me from the pasturing P-plater.
The report also stated Australians are spending nearly double the time in their commute during morning and afternoon peak hour.
Sydney was the most congested city surveyed in Australia and New Zealand, while Perth ranks sixth out of the nine cities.
Congestion levels have remained the same in Perth, Adelaide and Canberra and other cities surveyed had steadily worsened.
1. Sydney 35 per cent
2. Auckland 32 per cent
3. Wellington 29 per cent
4. Melbourne 28 per cent
5. Perth 27 per cent
6. Christchurch 28 per cent
7. Adelaide 25 per cent
8. Brisbane 25 per cent
9. Canberra 17 per cent
By the way, Thursday evenings are reported to be the worst time to commute in Perth. So from that driver to the left of you ... enjoy the long, slow drive home tomorrow night.
