Everyone's been in a traffic jam, and everyone tries to switch into the fastest moving lane, but every time you switch, you notice that the lane you were just in is now going faster. This is one of the most frustrating things about a traffic jam, but according to Tom Vanderbilt in his book Traffic, it's all an illusion. Each lane is going at the same speed. It's only the drivers narrow point of view that tells him otherwise. "Even though the subject in the car...was maintaining the same overall relative pace as the next lane- the car spent more time being passed by cars than it did passing them" (43). We all know that time spent doing something boring or not pleasurable, time goes at an unbelievably slow pace, so when you are in your car getting passed, it seems like more time was spent being passed because unpleasant things always seem to take longer. Not only the irksome habits of time, but also our own habits contribute to the illusion of the other lane moving faster. According to a study, "We spend about 6 percent of our driving time looking in the rearview mirror. In other words, we're much more aware of what is passing us than what we have passed" (43). In other words, we tend to be negative thinkers. We are always looking ahead thinking about where we need to go and getting peeved when other people pass us. I think it would do us a lot of good if we could just stop for a moment and consider the progress we've made so far and not worry about who's passing us- both on the road and in life.
We all know that one of the worst things about work zones are late mergers taking advantage of those who are trying to be upstanding citizens and not cut in front of everyone waiting their turn. However, Vanderbilt argues that late merging actually works out better for everyone. Concerning late merging, an acquaintance of his once said, "Isn't it obvious that the best thing to do is for both lanes to be full right up to the last moment, and then merge in turn? that way, the full capacity of the road is being used, and it's fair on everyone..." (48). What is arguing is that if cars would remain in their lane, each lane would be going twice as fast as if all the cars had merged into one lane. Personally, I am skeptical of this view because it seems that two lanes trying to squash together at one point would be much more difficult to manage. The late merge system apparently causes the overall traffic to move faster according to a study in Pennsylvania (47), but I would think that all the cars trying to come together so suddenly would make traffic more hazardous.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
This book sounds very intriguing. It seems as though there are several interesting perspectives discussed in the book. It sounds like something that would cause you to think more carefully about the world surrounding you and the actions you make while driving.
I love the connection of traffic to life, and how the use of a busy highway as a metaphor can give everyone something easy to relate to. It feels like this book is one that a wide range of people can read and enjoy while you learn a lesson about patience and road rage.
Ooh, good connection in your first paragraph. I really really like that idea, that we need to take account of what we have accomplished instead of always striving forward. At least when we get 'peeved' ;). Still, how do you get the balance right? My mom's always telling me that I'm so full of myself, and though I got a good grade, I should do better next time. So while we look behind, we also must look ahead to accomplish anything and be good (not super-egoed) people! Maybe we realize that on some level, and that's why everyone looks forward, not back. There's a huge theme in all sorts of books about not living in the past... I guess the balance just needs to be right. Watch the people behind you to ego-pump but then face front for all the goals yet to be accomplished. Beautiful idea, Narah, and tied spectacularily to the topic of traffic!
I like how you show us that egos can also be shown through driving. I think driving shows our real feelings much better than talking, because of the anonymity you talked about in your first blog. We "budge" when we merge, but people don't like to think that when someone is cutting in line, they are doing the best thing for everyone.
Post a Comment