It’s a growing trend in these United States: paying extra for conveniences such as bypassing the riffraff in airport security lines, or whizzing past mere mortal motorists on pristine, pay-for express lanes.

Where I live in the Washington, D.C. area, the new express road program in Northern Virginia’s clotted traffic arteries appears to be a hit. For a buck or two, you get out of the more crowded free lanes. And you are allowed to go 65 miles per hour, while the peasants are held to 55 mph.

On the other hand, the express lane program at Reagan National Airport doesn't appear to be generating much traffic.

If the FDA is trying to hitch a ride on the “pay for convenience” bandwagon with its new Voluntary Compliance Improvement Program (VCIP), early anecdotal evidence suggests that results resemble the airport model more than the highway version. We’re hearing many in industry say the VCIP program doesn’t offer enough of an incentive to justify the extra work.

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