Learn about the numerous complexities of driving in ‘Traffic’

 by Edward Hirst Rowan Public Library

The car has been a part of American life for many years and whether we see it as a symbol of freedom or a symptom of sprawl, we define ourselves by how and what we drive. In the book “Traffic,” Tom Vanderbilt writes about how traffic has shaped human nature and vice versa.

Based on his detailed research and interviews with experts around the world, “Traffic” kicks the tires of that everyday activity we call driving. It turns out that it is a surprisingly complex mix of technical, physical and psychological factors woven together that explains how traffic works and why we drive the way we do. In it he answers many of drivers’ most nagging questions: Why does the other lane always seem faster? Why does adding more lanes bring more cars and more congestion? Does anybody signal anymore?

For this well-written and researched book he interviewed traffic reporters, traffic engineers, psychologists studying human-machine interactions and Dutch urban planners who design intersections with no pavement markings, traffic signs or signals.

Backed up by an impressive amount of psychological, sociological, historical, anecdotal and economic research, the book is engaging and sobering. His findings reveal how little attention drivers pay to the road and how frequently they misjudge crucial information, referring to traffic as “an environment that has become so familiar we no longer see it.”

For those of us who aren’t brain surgeons, driving is the most complex everyday thing we do. It is a skill that consists of 1,500 mini skills. At any given moment, we are navigating terrain, maintaining our position, judging speed, evaluating risk and anticipating the future actions of others. All of that while sipping a coffee, quieting a toddler, thinking about last night’s television episode or checking a voice mail.

One study of a section of road in Maryland found that drivers were presented a piece of information every two feet. That translates to about 440 words per minute, or reading three paragraphs like this while looking at lots of pictures, and then repeating for every minute of driving. Traffic is available for checkout from the library or downloading from North Carolina Digital Library.

Just don’t read it while driving; traffic isn’t getting any better.