The Drifter: A Naturistic Study

So, what a beautiful night to come home from work and go for my usual run, only today it wasn’t as cut and dry as usual. This blog doesn’t reference an article, but it does reference an impromptu naturistic study I managed to complete between mile 4 and 5. Anyway, the first ½ mile of this run I was so focused on all the aches and pains from the day, I started doubting what I was doing. Mile 1, I was hating on the turkey burger I just ate. Mile 2, I wanted to quit, go home, and have another turkey burger J. Mile 3 was interrupted by a brutal hill that walking was the only option lest my heart quit on me. Mile 4 however, this was my usual route, and I always run to the left of the shoulder white line and well away from oncoming traffic. I started noticing that every so often cars seemed to drift to the white line. It’s known that sometimes when driving, you tend to drift to the direction your eyes are looking. Ah ha!!! A study. What percentage of cars could I quantify as drifters? Never mind the cramp in my gut (turkey burger again), my plantar fasciitis, or the sunscreen mixed with sweat dripping into my left eye – I could make my last mile entertained with a purpose. So, here’s the results. Out of a sample of 40 cars that passed me, I counted 5 that drifted touching the white line in my direction, while 35 did not. In descriptive statistics this is 1:7, or 12.5% of cars on the road are drifters meaning they will drift to the direction of their eyes – looking at you or me. Thus, I have a 1 in 7 chance of being struck by a car now that the COVID-19 has my usual gym closed forcing me to run on the local roads. This relates to medicine in that this is a public safety hazard. Runners beware.