"Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do"

**TonyPSchaefer** · 10-15-2009, 01:54 PM

I mentioned this book in another thread and said I would start a thread and I'm just now getting around to it.

My bro-in-law suggested that I read this book. I got the audiobook and am listening to it in my car (the irony isn't lost). I have to say that it's very good. The author, Tom Vanderbilt, (

Amazon.com: Tom Vanderbilt: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
Amazon.com: Tom Vanderbilt: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

a_gray_prius · 10-15-2009, 02:55 PM

Your signature line makes it even more ironic:

"Proud father of Priapus: the '04 Tideland BC9 with an OEM EV button and sense of self-righteousnes"

**TonyPSchaefer** · 10-15-2009, 04:45 PM

He does have some personality issues.

I'm not smug; my car is.

Spectra · 10-15-2009, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a_gray_prius

'04 Tideland BC9 with an OEM EV button

Was I four years too late to get an Original Equipment Manufacturer EV button ?

?

jayman · 10-15-2009, 05:53 PM

Which is why I'm thinking of leasing one of these bad boys

YouTube - Dillon Aero Tactical Vehicle with Gatling Gun

Assuming I can write it off, that is ....

greenthumb25 · 10-15-2009, 05:54 PM

there is some truth to this actually... you're all good until you hit somebody

DaveinOlyWA · 10-15-2009, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spectra

Was I four years too late to get an Original Equipment Manufacturer EV button ?

?

no....more like 8,000 miles too far to the right to get one. they widely available in Japan

octavia · 10-16-2009, 01:30 AM

That's interesting. My reading list over floweth at the moment but this might be fun to pick up over Christmas break. What does it say about someone who's driving style is changing?

**TonyPSchaefer** · 10-16-2009, 09:17 AM

There certainly have been studies that prove beyond any doubt that a slow and steady pace is faster and moves more cars in the same timeframe than does stop-n-go traffic. For that reason, some countries have installed variable speed limit signs that change the speed limit as congestion increases. At the same time, photo enforcement increases.

All Prius drivers know that stopping and starting kills our mileage. We are more conscious of this fact because we receive instant feedback and because we tend to attribute more importance on mileage than on speed. But what this book reiterates time and time again is that the patient and knowledgeable driver drives without aggression, paces themself and often reduces the time they spend commuting.

The main problem with traffic, it seems, is that everyone is out for themselves. There are some great comparisons to the animal kingdom. If variable speed limits were instituted, there would still be those who would say "screw this, I'm outta here." And when people see that they would say, "if they're going to speed then I'm going to speed also" and the whole thing falls apart. It's not only because they feel they are gaining over everyone else but also because they feel that they are losing to the speeders. So, unfortunately, even the best plans can rapidly be unraveled by only a few selfish thinkers.

Spectra · 10-16-2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyPSchaefer

.... unraveled by only a few selfish thinkers.

Hear - hear ! (or is it "here, here" ? or "hear, here" ? etc ...)

I haven't read the book, but I have been driving since gas was $0.34/gal. And over time, my perspective has changed since I was 16 and driven by little more than the immortality derived of testosterone.

Pardon my negativity here, but I beleive that nasty driving attitudes are based on increasingly numerous individuals who feel so thoroughly powerless & miserable, that their only recourse is to out-nasty the next person on the road.

There, in the insular privacy of their cars, with bass-speakers turned up off the chart, their few thrills in life come from causing others to swerve & respond to their aggressive, unpredictable behavior. In those short moments, these sorry individuals imagine their superiority.

It is not about being in a hurry: When harrassed by these creeps, I watch to see where they go once they pass me.
Ans: Frequently, they just zoom into the next parking lot, mall, or Burger-Taco-Wendy-Ronald-McDonald.

And so, it is about the selfishness of personal insecurity, taken out against public safety (<which, of course, includes their own).

Go figure ....

10-15-2009, 02:55 PM	#2
a_gray_prius Rare Under-30 Priuschat Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 538 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: N/A Package: #3 Touring Thanks: 9 Thanked 32 Times in 23 Posts Friends: 9	Re: "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do" Your signature line makes it even more ironic: "Proud father of Priapus: the '04 Tideland BC9 with an OEM EV button and sense of self-righteousnes"

10-15-2009, 04:45 PM	#3
TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Far-North Chicagoland Posts: 10,498 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 39 Thanked 165 Times in 106 Posts Friends: 23	Re: "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do" He does have some personality issues. I'm not smug; my car is.

10-15-2009, 05:54 PM	#6
greenthumb25 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: California Posts: 6 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: N/A Package: No Package Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do" there is some truth to this actually... you're all good until you hit somebody

10-16-2009, 01:30 AM	#8
octavia Fairy Pincess Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Oregon Posts: 381 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: III Package: Navigation Thanks: 109 Thanked 33 Times in 24 Posts Friends: 9	Re: "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do" That's interesting. My reading list over floweth at the moment but this might be fun to pick up over Christmas break. What does it say about someone who's driving style is changing?

10-16-2009, 09:17 AM	#9
TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Far-North Chicagoland Posts: 10,498 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 39 Thanked 165 Times in 106 Posts Friends: 23	Re: "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do" There certainly have been studies that prove beyond any doubt that a slow and steady pace is faster and moves more cars in the same timeframe than does stop-n-go traffic. For that reason, some countries have installed variable speed limit signs that change the speed limit as congestion increases. At the same time, photo enforcement increases. All Prius drivers know that stopping and starting kills our mileage. We are more conscious of this fact because we receive instant feedback and because we tend to attribute more importance on mileage than on speed. But what this book reiterates time and time again is that the patient and knowledgeable driver drives without aggression, paces themself and often reduces the time they spend commuting. The main problem with traffic, it seems, is that everyone is out for themselves. There are some great comparisons to the animal kingdom. If variable speed limits were instituted, there would still be those who would say "screw this, I'm outta here." And when people see that they would say, "if they're going to speed then I'm going to speed also" and the whole thing falls apart. It's not only because they feel they are gaining over everyone else but also because they feel that they are losing to the speeders. So, unfortunately, even the best plans can rapidly be unraveled by only a few selfish thinkers.

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