Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.51 (619 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B001FVJH3E |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 525 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-10-04 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
People are glad to tell you that their child is a middle school honor student — as if anyone cared! — but they deem it less important to tell you what they’re going to do in traffic. Q: You write that "as the inner life of the driver begins to come into focus, it is becoming clear not only that distraction is the single biggest problem on the road, but that we have little concept of just how distracted we are." Can you explain? A: To give you an idea, I took a test on a driving simulator. That said, were it to be fully achievable, full automated driving would have all kinds of benefits, from smoother traffic flow to a reduction in crashes. The economy didn’t collapse, and, if you believe surveys, people were no less happy then they are now. We can’t build our way out of traffic, but we can think our way out. When we don’t have it, when we become
"Interesting book that should have been shorter for my liking" according to Amazon Customer. Very very very interesting book that sometimes reads as a treatise. I picked this book up because I'm a nerd who often wonders why things are done the way they are and/or how we can fix them. I usually read up on a topic, get and then move on to something else. This book was fantastic for explaining a lot of things in a very interesting way. However, sometimes you'll wonder why in the heck you are reading a book called "Traffic" The depth of explanation in this book is both a strength and a poten. Fascinating and Informative This is a fascinating book! Much more interesting than I had originally anticipated, I was riveted! I've since re-read it, still a lot to absorb. And now, if only we could make all the worst drivers read this book. Sandra Kosek said Thought provoking. So interesting to read about some of the social science and traffic engineering background for an activity that everyone takes so much for granted pretty much every day. My family has been affected by a serious traffic accident in the past and I can't emphasize enough that people should be constantly trying to improve their own driving skillseven if it's just improving your understanding of how your unconscious perceptions drive you.Why four stars instead of five? Typically when I read "pop scien
And who knows? It may even make us better drivers.. He shows how roundabouts, which can feel dangerous and chaotic, actually make roads safer—and reduce traffic in the bargain. 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. He demonstrates why plans to protect pedestrians from cars often lead to more accidents. 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. 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. This book will change the way we see ourselves and the world around us. He uncovers who is more likely to honk at whom, and why. Vanderbilt examines the perceptual limits and cognitive underpinnings that make us worse drivers than we thin