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Would you be surprised that road rage can be good for society? Or that most crashes happen on sunny, dry days? That our minds can trick us into thinking the next lane is moving faster? Or that you can gauge a nation’s driving behavior by its levels of corruption? These are only a few of the remarkable dynamics that Tom Vanderbilt explores in this fascinating tour through the mysteries of the road.

Based on exhaustive research and interviews with driving experts and traffic officials around the globe, Traffic gets under the hood of the everyday activity of driving to uncover the surprisingly complex web of physical, psychological, and technical factors that explain how traffic works, why we drive the way we do, and what our driving says about us. Vanderbilt examines the perceptual limits and cognitive underpinnings that make us worse drivers than we think we are. He demonstrates why plans to protect pedestrians from cars often lead to more accidents. He shows how roundabouts, which can feel dangerous and chaotic, actually make roads safer—and reduce traffic in the bargain. He uncovers who is more likely to honk at whom, and why. He explains why traffic jams form, outlines the unintended consequences of our quest for safety, and even identifies the most common mistake drivers make in parking lots.

The car has long been a central part of American life; whether we see it as a symbol of freedom or a symptom of sprawl, we define ourselves by what and how we drive. As Vanderbilt shows, driving is a provocatively revealing prism for examining how our minds work and the ways in which we interact with one another. Ultimately, Traffic is about more than driving: it’s about human nature. This book will change the way we see ourselves and the world around us. And who knows? It may even make us better drivers.

Average Customer Rating:

Interesting and Educational!

Customer Rating:

"Traffic" opens with the observation that, in situations involving a reduction of lanes, those merging as late as possible end up moving ahead much faster. I have taken advantage of that fact for years and felt somewhat guilty for doing so - until Vanderbilt also revealed that doing so speeds up overall traffic as well - 15%. Readers also quickly learn that traffic has been an aggravation for thousands of years - Caesar banned carts and chariot traffic in Rome during the day to avoid congestion, while 1867 horses were killing an average of four pedestrians/week in New York City - higher than today's fatality rate. Bicycles have also sometimes been a source of traffic outrage. Today more U.S. households own three cars than one, and having more cars means our driving has increased more than the population. In 1969 nearly half of American children walked or biked to school - now it is just 16%. An estimated 22% of restaurant meals are ordered through car windows in the U.S., and 1,200 CVS drugstores feature a drive-thru window. The increase in American driving has mainly occurred among women - taking the kids to school, performing errands, etc. (Organized sports for children have doubled.) An estimated 83% of car pools are actually family pools toting family members around and taking no cars off the road. Vanderbilt contends that this undermines the purpose of car pool lanes. Sometimes efforts to improve safety backfire, and "Traffic" explains why. For example, lengthening yellow lights extends the indecision zone, the number of cars in it, and the decisions about whether to stop or go - thus, the more chances to crash. Anti-lock brake systems and SUVs offer improved safety, but their drivers then drive more aggressively and negate that value. Company cars are statistically the most hazardous. Vanderbilt claims, with good justification, that drivers don't receive enough feedback to adequately improve their performance. "Drive Cam" cameras posted near the rear-view mirror and focused on the driver are one way of doing so. They have brought crash rate declines of 30-50% - recordings are kept whenever the driver breaks hard or makes a sudden turn. Vanderbilt believes that the term "accident" is used too loosely - eg. covers stupid and deliberate actions such as speeding, DUI, texting while driving, etc. In addition, a survey of American car commercials showed that it is quite acceptable to show cars being driven in ways a panel labeled as "hazardous" - especially driving at high speed. A large study in Virginia co-sponsored by the NHTSA found almost 805 of crashes and 65% of near crashes involved drivers not paying attention to traffic for up to three seconds prior. "Traffic" provides evidence supporting congestion pricing, citing evidence finding minor volume reductions resulting from such. (Minor volume reductions often lead to significant congestion reductions.) Vanderbilt cites studies finding that 70% of car-truck crashes are caused solely by the car driver. Americans have a 1% chance of being killed in an auto accident during their life-times. Low-speed drivers are more likely to get into accidents than relatively high-speed drivers. Men are involved in fatal crashes at a rate almost 2X that of women. The only bad news about "Traffic" is that it sometimes bogs down in too many studies, especially conflicting ones.

irredeemably flawed

Customer Rating:

Terrific premise. I wanted so badly to love this book. Now I'm just thankful I got it from the library - don't waste your money! Almost all of his observations are developed from anecdotes. And anyone who's spent time on the road has similar anecdotes and can develop similar observations. Trouble is, there's almost no rigorous science. Very little consistency, or even logic, either. The author has some stuff to say that he thinks is interesting, and says it. He doesn't actually provide any enlightenment.

Multiple intersections

Customer Rating:

This might be a good book to read if you're a passenger in heavy traffic, but by any other name and in any other location, Tom Vanderbilt's exceptionally good new book, "Traffic", offers a comprehensive look at a larger picture... how we are as drivers, theories of how highway build-ups begin and end, driving in other parts of the world, and so on. Vanderbilt manages to conflate physics, geometry and psychology into a narrative that flows as easily as cars on a country highway. It is a mini-encyclopedia and surprises abound...especially about the human nature of driving. "If you build it they will come", a near quote from "Field of Dreams", is just one aspect of traffic upon which Vanderbilt comments. New road construction tends to bring more cars and while this may be one thing that many of us have suspected, the author verifies it then steers us into other areas of our lives on the road which might take us aback. We tend to think we drive at different speeds than we actually do, for instance, or take more risks with newer cars. But it's the depth of "Traffic" which is so impressive and makes this one of the most fascinating books of the year. I highly recommend it.

A good place to start

Customer Rating:

I have been in highway engineering for 20 some years and I found this to be a very good read. I already was aware of much that he discussed, but there was a lot of new material also. This book was well researched and is a good place to start if you want to learn about traffic in general, and if you want to pursue it further the notes will take you there. I recommend reading it if for no other reason than the understanding that you will attain about what is going on when you are on the freeways and streets of our cities.

Inside the Driver's Brain

Customer Rating:

Driving, at least in America, is an activity that is oddly personal. Our cars, the way we drive, how we handle bad traffic, are so much a part of ourselves, that we bristle, or worse, when someone criticizes our choice of car, the way we drive, or our behavior in traffic. When I read several (professional) reviews of Traffic, it was hard to believe that they were all about the same book. The reviews seemed to reflect the personalities, the insecurities, the preferences of the reviewers. I was learning more about the reviewers than about the book. Then when I'd read the book, I found that the parts that stuck with me had not been mentioned in any of the reviews I'd seen. For instance, I was fascinated to read about "Sabbath Timing" of traffic lights at some 75 Los Angeles intersections. From sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday every week, and on certain holidays, they are programmed to flash the walk signal every signal rotation, whether anyone presses the button or not. This is so the orthodox Jews in those neighborhoods cross the streets without pressing the button, which would be against the rule not to use any machines. The city planners considered an alternate solution that would use sensors to detect if a pedestrian was waiting to cross the street, but consultations with local rabbis determined that that would not be in keeping with the restriction. Another tidbit: all drivers believe they are better than average. Not surprising actually, but still interesting. A factoid that applies to more than just traffic: most people prefer one long line rather than many short lines, such as that at Wendy's vs. the lines at McDonald's, even if the wait is longer with the long line. We like the "social justice" of the single line, in which no one can pick the "right" line and be served ahead of those who waited longer in the slower lines. Traffic is a thoroughly-researched book with lots of data and over a hundred pages of end notes and index. Vanderbilt knows his traffic. But so do we. So here are my own observations about traffic. I spent many years commuting to work in the Bay Area, a 140-mile round trip, on several different shifts, and including right after the Loma Prieta Earthquake, when the Bay Bridge, a critical portion of my commute, was being repaired after a large section fell into the Bay. In all the years spent commuting, the traffic did not strike me as being especially idiosyncratic. It was awful and I hated it, but it seemed no worse or better than most places. Las Vegas, on the other hand, is a different kettle of fish. The drivers here have a real "double or nothing" mentality. I quickly learned to hurry through all yellow lights and to check the rear view mirror before stopping at red lights. The alternative was to be rear-ended. Avoid the temptation (difficult in Las Vegas) to make quick starts when the light turns green. Wait for at least two more cars to go through the intersection and check to see if anyone else is going to run the red. Then go. Jaywalking is very common, and so are accidents resulting from jaywalking. In spite of all this, I continue to be surprised that school zone speed limits are religiously observed. Even at the school zone on a main street that covers several blocks, the traffic slows to 15 mph and no one cheats. I never see any police cars skulking in the vicinity, so I can't explain this apparent anomaly. The substandard school system seems to rule out the possibility that Las Vegans care more about the welfare of their children than do other communities. It's just one of those local quirks, I guess. The first time we went to Rome, I fell in love. With the traffic. It was wild, uncontrolled, anarchic, insane! After a few minutes, it seemed less so. In fact, it was beautiful. Everyone was moving in a synchronized way, ignoring signs, signals, crosswalks, but completely aware of the other cars and the pedestrians. Unlike in North America, the Romans did not come to a stop unless absolutely necessary, and then for as short a time as possible. We learned, as every visitor to Rome does, that pedestrians wait for a small break in the traffic, stride confidently into the street, making eye contact or appearing stylishly aloof, your choice, but moving at a constant pace across the street. Traffic will slow slightly, move around you, and you will be incorporated into the flow. You must do what is expected, no sudden moves, no stopping in the middle of the street. Yes, most of the drivers are driving one-handed, telefonino in the other hand. But they are all aware of the traffic around them. Here, we stare straight ahead in our individual cocoons, passive-aggressively making the other guy go around us when we refuse to acknowledge his presence. Traffic is the perfect book to listen to while in traffic.