What is it about stepping into a car that makes any sane, responsible person into an aggressive, road-raging lunatic? In his book Traffic, Tom Vanderbilt explores the psychology of humans in their cars and explains the causes of behaviors of people behind the wheel. Vanderbilt suggests that road rage is not because of character flaw per se, but because of the loss of humanity once we step into a car. He expands on this by saying, "Think of language, perhaps the defining human characteristic. Being in a car renders us mostly mute" (21). He goes on to say that the lack of proper communication causes many misinterpretations on the road. Experiments and observations have shown that people are quick to jump to an angry, defensive stance when they are honked at. A researcher also argues that it is the inability of drivers to hear each other that makes them angry. He says, "This muteness... makes us mad. We are desperate to say something" (22). When one driver offends another -whether it's intentional or not- the victim finds the need to voice their frustration, but course the offender will make no response. In a certain study, some researchers would honk at another car and record their reactions. "More than three-quarters of the drivers reacted verbally, despite the fact they would not be heard by the honker" (22). As it is human nature to communicate our frustrations and problems, when all sophisticated communication is taken away, we are likely to get angry at other drivers and perhaps drive more aggressively.
Not only is communication lost inside a car, but a person's identity is as well. Once you step into your car, you are identified by the type of car you drive, your license plate, and your bumper stickers. Vanderbilt observes, "Anonymity in traffic acts as a powerful drug, with several curious side effects" (26). People feel free to express themselves in extreme ways when they are alone in their car. Vanderbilt compares being in a car to being in a chatroom. Since you aren't face to face with people, and they have no idea who you are, you are able to say anything you want. This irresponsibility is shown in drivers as well. Vanderbilt also says, "...anonymity increases aggressiveness" (27). He says this because people lose their identity while they are in their car, it is easier for them to get angry at other drivers. On the road, drivers don't see each other as people but as annoyances. Therefore, it is not necessarily inhumane people who are road ragers. Aggressive driving is actually a very human response to the lack of language and identity inside a car
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5 comments:
I think that this book is very interesting, and a great concept to study. I agree wit Mr. Vanderbilt's arguments that one of the main reasons people get so crazy inside of a car is because they can't communicate with the outside world. Communication is an essential part of our being, and without it, we are put into unfamiliar territory. Drivers often respond to an accusatory honk with the finger or by cutting the other person off, which is a downward spiral that leads to more agression and problems.
I, too, think this is an interesting book to study. I also wonder though if the attitude "my need is more important than your need" also comes into play with driving. Also, some people think they have an "entitlement" of driving rather than driving as a "privilege".
Vanderbilt's arguments are really intriguing. I completely agree with his position that people lose their identity as a human when they step into a car. When there is rush hour, people refer to it as traffic rather than as a crowd of people. It all becomes impersonal, and other cars are seen only as obstacles to be avoided. What is scary is that people lose track (even subconsciously) of their compassion for other drivers.
I also agree that this is a very interesting point. Road Rage is all around us and its interseting that there is actually like a "science" to figuring it out!
When you talked about how people respond with thier voices, even though they could not be heard, it made me think how funny that is, its just a reflex!
This book seems to be very interesting. By sitting in our cars, we are giving up our individuality is also a very interesting statement. It makes sense to me that people feel closed off from the other drivers when they are confined to a car. I think that people show they're "true" selves in their cars too, because there is almost no way to know who you are. The anonymity you get from being in a car is like being in a chat room, just like the book said.
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