Which would you rather have? Free gas or no traffic?

Yesterday evening, I was skimming through YouTube highlights of The Dan Patrick Show, something I do rather frequently. It's a sports talk show, but quite often, the hosts find themselves having "would you rather?" debates amongst the staff. During the "Morning Meeting" segment, one of the hosts proposed a question to the others: would you rather have free gas or no traffic for the rest of your life?

In the midst of gas prices rising to historic levels, with little relief in sight as temperatures increase, it's a fascinating hypothetical.

On the home-front, the American Automobile Association reports that, as of today (3/25), the average gas price in Iowa is $3.88/gallon. That's still less than the national average of $4.24/gallon. Conversely, Illinoisans are paying $4.49/gallon, well above the national average. Wisconsin finds itself in the middle-ground at $3.95/gallon.

For some additional perspective, Illinois' gas prices are the equivalent of California, Oregon, Nevada, and many other western states.

So back to the hypothetical... what would you opt for, if given the choice? Free gas for life? Or be the only one on your route whenever you had to go somewhere?

I asked my listeners that question on social media today. The overwhelming response was, "FREE GAS!" One caller chimed in with an interesting workaround. He said he'd choose no traffic and purchase an electric car. That's one way to get the best of both worlds.

I'd personally have to agree with the consensus, however. I'd love to see the screen remain at $0.00 as I fill my tank. But the other deciding factor for me is that I'm fortunate enough not to deal with much traffic during my morning commute to work nor my afternoon commute home. For someone who has to face traffic from 30 minutes to over an hour every day, I could easily see them choosing the "no traffic" option in a heartbeat.

What it comes down to is this: almost everyone has to stop at a gas station sooner or later, whereas not everyone deals with road congestion on a regular basis.

If given the option, which would you choose? Feel free to chime in on the Y105 Facebook page!