Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What it Says About Us.

In a west coast city, there are pedestrian walk lights that work without human intervention.  Instead, a sensor recognizes that there is someone who wants to cross and gives a green light accordingly.  This lovely idea was put in place to help those who need to cross the street on Sabbath and cannot do any "work" to be able to do so.

It is Tom Vanderbilt's contention that traffic is borne of human nature and culture.  He says so in Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What it Says About Us.  And that's self-evident.  In this engaging audiobook (available by downloading here, if you have your library card), Vanderbilt wanders far and wide examining everything from manners to accidents to the age-old struggle of pedestrian versus the machines.  Did you know that the law in most states is that an unmarked (i.e. without paint) crosswalks give pedestrians the same right of way as marked ones do?  If you didn't, you're not alone -- the vast majority of drivers do not.

Did you know the 4th of July is the worst day for traffic fatalities?  Did you know men drive better with women in the car than they drive with other men?  Did you know there are proportionately less fatalities on windy, narrow roads generally than on other seemly safer highways?  These are just a few of behaviors that Vanderbilt investigates.  What do traffic engineers do? Why is merging late actually a good idea?

I loved this book.  Vanderbilt's prose is sturdy and his explanations and narrative clear.  He asked just about every question I would have asked and sought experts all over the world.  If you've ever wanted to know if hunting around for the closest parking spot to your destination is worth  it (generally, it's not) and how traffic engineers can best discourage people who run yellow lights, and what types of circumstances are most likely to result in accident -- this is the book for you.

Yes, there are many, many facts in this book but the tone is generally light and his writing is smooth and entertaining.  And who knows?  It could even make you a better driver.

~mel