Beschreibung
Why we drive the way we do (and what it says about us)
Would you be surprised that road rage can be good for society? Or that most crashed happen on sunny, dry days? That our minds can trick us into thinking the next lane ist moving faster? Or that you can gauge an nation's driving behavior by its level of corruption? These are only few of teh remarkable dynamics that Tom Vanderbilt expores in this fascinating tour trough the mysteries of the road.
Based on exhaustive research an 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, actaully make roads safer - and reduce traffic in the bargain. He uncovers who is mor 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. Ulimately, Traffic is about mor than drivin: 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.