My daughter who lives in the town of Fareham in the UK has been plagued by slugs this summer.  They are feasting on her vegetable garden and even have found a way to get into the house.  Being the kind environmentalist that she is she has been looking for "natural" ways to rid herself of these creatures.  When I was young it was the salt shaker and cups of beer that did them in but she won't go that route. 

Here in DC when you hear someone talking about slugs they aren't talking about slimy creatures but our unique way of carpooling.  I like to think of it as safe hitchhiking.  Slugging is a great way for anyone to grab a free ride into DC from the VA or MD suburbs.  When I talk to people who live outside the area they are surprised to hear that people randomly pick up strangers and drive them in or out of town. 

Slugging is a very orderly and organized.  With specific pickup locations throughout the suburbs there is a standard of etiquette of how people travel.  Rarely is there any conversation between the passenger and the driver, definitely no smoking, no coffee and even better NO CELL PHONES!   No money exchanges hands as the benefit is for the driver to be able to hop in to the HOV lanes and save the stress of sitting on a clogged interstate.

Slugging has been around for a long time.  My father slugged in the 70's and I picked up slugs in the 90's when my office was in town.  It is one of the few commuter options in our area that has grown better over time.  With organized pick up and drop up spots, unspoken but well known rules and no slime trails J

If you are moving to the DC area and you want to know more about our Slug Lines give me a buzz.  I'll help you learn the ropes.