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Thumbs down on this book.I got about 1/2 way through listening to the unabridged "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)". There was a study about this. But let's get back to this idiot who cut you off.-----------I kept thinking it would get better, that the author would dive more into the ample quantity of interesting studies he's read, that he'd bridge together ideas from across the story-arc. Not enough science, too angry, too snarky, too jerk-like, too monochromatic, too. But that didn't happen.1.5 out of 5 stars. a lot of things. I couldn't finish it. It said that most people on the highway aren't really jerks.
And the reader amplified those emotions.Here is my simplified version of the book:-----------You've seen this a million times before: some jerk cuts you off on a highway on-ramp at 5:30 on a Friday afternoon, you speed up to see who this moron could be and he waves apologetically at you. What could this doo-doo head possibly he possibly be thinking. That he'd propose some ideas that didn't sound like they came from some white-knuckled, road-raged jerk. (0.5 stars for choosing a good topic)
In the end, it's easier to remember the question than the answer.Also, most of the statistics involve fatal crashes. Lots of good trivia here but it doesn't feel like there was anything actionable.It's disturbing to read two different books that take the same psychological experiment (having a person in a gorilla suit walk through a group that is passing a basketball) and use it to illustrate two different points. I'd like to think that there is other safety data available. It starts to make me wonder about what we can conclude, when the books cover widely differing subjects.The premise is interesting, but we're repeatedly given many teasers (early or late merge). and one answer. Wearing a helmet could save my life, but it doesn't help me avoid a fender bender in the supermarket lot. There was a lot of research involved in this book; about 1/4 of it is citations, swelling its size without adding reading.There are some good nuggets of information though, like building roads creates more traffic, and removing dangers from the roadside leading to more fatalities.
But more pedestrians take marked crosswalks than jaywalk. I thought that I would be interested in reading about driving and traffic, but it turns out that I wasn't. There is nothing that the author is trying to say that you can summarize in a few sentences or a few paragraphs. Some of these he shouldn't have trouble with; I think that we should all know what a percentile is. For example, more pedestrians are killed at marked crosswalks than jaywalking. Like half of all non-fiction books written today, it probably would have worked better as a magazine article.There are two main problems with the book. However, it never really works as a full-length book.
First, it contains a lot of information in several sections, all of which are dense and well-researched, and some of which are more interesting than others (I liked the sections on controlling congestion and the unexpected effects of increasing safety features; I didn't care for the parts on people overestimating their driving skills and people eyes and ears betraying them on the road). But with all of this information, there is no overarching theme or story. If you're really interested in driving and traffic, then you will likely enjoy reading this book. Granted, he is not a traffic scientist, but he is writing a book about traffic science, so he should be somewhat of an expert. He has the habit of putting quote marks around scientific phrases or concepts as an excuse for not defining or describing them. Though I may be misreading several of his sentences, a number of times I was struck by the impression that he doesn't really understand the difference between absolute numbers and percentages. I would suggest just reading a few chapters to see if you like it. He certainly didn't explain it clearly if he does, several times.In short, this book is filled with interesting stuff, but it isn't interesting as a whole.
The author did everything right: he did a lot of research on traffic, organized his findings and wrote it up clearly. What matters is the rate at which pedestrians are killed in each of those situations. He's just listing a bunch of stories about driving and traffic. Hence, it doesn't come together as a book.Second, it seems in multiple places that the author doesn't really understand some of the more technical material that he is writing about. I am not sure that he really gets that. Have low expectations, and you might enjoy it more than I did.
This book is a good read. It is well written, funny and full of useful information and good tips. Well worth reading.
Or are you one of the drivers who waits until that endpoint, where you have to stop and wait for your turn to merge. So why in the world would I want to read a book about traffic. For instance, how much good do all those speed limit, caution and warning signs actually do. Well, whether you live in a crowded city or a small town off the interstate, Traffic turns out to be an interesting, worthwhile look at humans and their machines, what happens on the road, and why.Traffic hooked me right off the bat with its provocative starting point: you're on the freeway in the right hand lane.
Have we collectively done the right thing by widening our roads, adding bike lanes, crosswalks and protected turn arrows.By the time I reached the end of this book, I had plenty of food for thought. A sign indicates that the lane is ending and you should merge left. Do you merge at the first safe opportunity and get mad at the drivers who keep zooming past on the right until the last possible merge point. I live in Los Angeles, and my daily commute subjects me to this city's infamous traffic. If he occasionally dwells too long on a particular point (I found some of his writing about safety a little plodding), he can be forgiven this minor sin in a book otherwise packed with information that speaks to our everyday lives.One final note: although it was not the author's intent, reading Traffic actually had an impact on the way I drive. He also looks at traffic from an engineering point of view.
What would happen in a busy, urban environment if we just took those signs away and let people figure things out for themselves. (It's been tried and the results surprised me).
I had become an angry driver, and after reading this book, I find myself much more philosophical behind the wheel, and I've cut way back on the pointless aggression. After all, I live it every day.
It's quite possible that all the traffic planning and road engineering in our major cities has been misguided in some major ways, resulting in the disruption of neighborhoods and increased danger to driver and pedestrian alike. Tom Vanderbilt used to be an early merger, but then he changed his ways.
Once you read the facts behind his decision, maybe you'll change your ways too.Vanderbilt explores this and other conventional wisdom of the road. How do we make traffic flow more quickly on our crowded roads - or is "faster" the wrong goal in the first place.Although Traffic may leave the reader with more questions than answers, fascinating studies and tidbits are scattered throughout the book, and Vanderbilt writes in an easygoing, humorous style.
I will try and make that a lasting change.
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