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rivertonrat 's review for:
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What It Says About Us
by Tom Vanderbilt
informative
medium-paced
This is just a fun pop-sociology read about human-car relationships and the counterintuitive findings by experts who study it. Not really anti-car, but provided a good argument against the idea of autonomous cars; driving is popular because it is an expression of status and freedom. Being in a self-driving car that determines routes, obeys speed limits, etc is boring , especially if it is a shared vehicle that removes pride of ownership.
Covers the human factors involved in driving, many of which are counter-intuitive. I found the book fascinating. Car ownership and modern transportation issues are inextricably intertwined with social and psychological motivators. I got into this book primarily because I've been obsessed with the idea driverless cars - I'm convinced they will never work. Why we drive the way we do and what it says about us sheds light why we are so attracted to cars - the ideas of freedom and individualism are paramount. Even with all the traffic headaches, unacceptable road carnage and exorbitant costs of car ownership, many drivers are attached to cars up until someone pries the steering wheel from their cold, dead hands. Alas, climate change may do just that.
Covers the human factors involved in driving, many of which are counter-intuitive. I found the book fascinating. Car ownership and modern transportation issues are inextricably intertwined with social and psychological motivators. I got into this book primarily because I've been obsessed with the idea driverless cars - I'm convinced they will never work. Why we drive the way we do and what it says about us sheds light why we are so attracted to cars - the ideas of freedom and individualism are paramount. Even with all the traffic headaches, unacceptable road carnage and exorbitant costs of car ownership, many drivers are attached to cars up until someone pries the steering wheel from their cold, dead hands. Alas, climate change may do just that.