Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)

by: Tom Vanderbilt

Published by: Vintage Books

Reviewed by Mark Owen

Traffic, why we drive the way we do and what that says about us by Tom
Vanderbilt is a one-of-a-kind gem. Most readers might see the title and turn the other way, especially if they had to sit through several red lights on their way to the bookstore. But they would be wrong not to give the book a second glance. It’s more a friendly collection of interesting and humorous anecdotes related to traffic, including detailed descriptions of the causes and implications of undesirable congestion on the roads. I honestly think this book should be expanded with glossy photographs and turned into a coffee table volume.

The book is organized into nine chapters sandwiched between a prologue and epilogue. The chapters, which are actually collections of related essays, have catchy titles to grab the reader. For example, there’s a chapter entitled: “Why Women Cause More Congestion Then Men (and Other Secrets of Traffic”). Any woman would be immediately drawn to these pages to see why her gender is garnished with this dubious honor. Any man would also jump to the chapter, but more for confirmation as to why males might be better drivers. The true answer cleverly given by Vanderbilt is much more innocuous, and I would argue gender non-specific nowadays.

The back matter of the book contains a fantastic section called Driving Lessons, where Vanderbilt documents visits to a special school for high-performance driving and to an “Innovative Mobility Showcase.” Also in the back are Vanderbilt’s highly detailed notes organized by the chapters. It is in this section you can peer into his methodology for producing the book, turning 89 pages of terse notes into 282 pages of easy-reading text by attractively embellishing the anecdotes and facts.

He’s a gifted writer and Traffic is an entertaining and informative book.

Armchair Interviews says: This is a 5-star read.

Author’s Web site: http://www.HowWeDrive.com