How can I take seriously someone who says that "the way we drive is responsible for a good part of our traffic problems," that "hideously self-absorbed drivers" are the primary problem, that everyone doing what they think is the best thing for themselves only slows everyone down, and that driving encourages a sense of self-importance that leads to exhibiting the "worst human traits," yet who, despite all this, refuses to use his turn signal because he himself is "better off" not using it because "signaling is revealing your intentions to the enemy"?

(And then the writer calls this offense a "fun and smart insight"! Wow, that's dense.)

If he doesn't even care enough to drive responsibly himself, why did he write this book? And why should I trust it?

I'm an eternal engineer at heart and I live in Atlanta. I"m currently a student at Georgia Tech and am obsessed with this topic of traffic. This is a much larger issue than the article makes it out to be. After living here, (originally from Tennessee) I've come to find out that driving is a symptom of a much larger issue - our housing situation. The way we value housing in this country is absurd. It's literally a formula that encourages sprawl! I've dedicated myself to living in town and biking everywhere to retain my own harmony and I feel much better for facing the problems head on. We all need to do our part - work together to value whats in town and not what's out of town, then maybe we won't always be late for that inane appointment. Giving up on cities was one of the worst things that ever happened to this country.

Not in my case, in my case I was weary almost unto death of being a chauffeur multiple times practically every day. The fourth eighteen mile round trip to high school in one day was my breaking point. Extracurricular activities are pure hell on parents sometimes.

And my child did most certainly _not_ get a new vehicle, it was a "hooptie" car, a ragged piece of crap Datsun (not Nissan, that tells you how old it was) station wagon with a manual transmission that would just barely climb the exceedingly steep hill out of our neighborhood if you got a running start.

Guess what? Daughter was delighted to get a car of any kind whatsoever, never heard a word of complaint about the age or condition of the vehicle. After she got rear-ended I sold the car, which was still running, for more than I paid for it to someone in my neighborhood who desperately needed a way to work. Collected from the other driver's insurance too so daughter got a somewhat nicer "hooptie" out of it. Two years later the old Datsun was still rolling (slowly) down the road.

If you put on your signal, people here wait for you to enter the lane.

If you are a pedestrian or cyclist, cars give you the right of way.

In general, this is one of the most civilized places to drive that I have ever experienced. In fact, it is more civilized overall that a lot of cities I have visited.

Contrast that with Richmond, Virginia, which was like driving a NASCAR rally every day...

I tend to think of myself as a Purposeful driver, while others may consider it aggressive. I don't cut people off and act like a nut, but I do drive as if I have a destination, which seems to put in instant conflict with many other drivers, who seem to be on a leisurely trip to grandma's house!

I have lived all over this country and this may come as a surprise but Arizona has some of the worst drivers EVER!

1. When you move here you are not required to learn the rules of the road. You can simply swap your drivers license for a Arizona license. My license had expired when I did this.

2. I moved to Arizona 3 years ago, my AZ license does not expire until 2035 (literally)! I am not lying. You can be a 70-year old person who doesn't have to take any type of driving test for like 25 years.

3. Too many old people on the road causing Mayhem and not having a clue that they're doing it.

4. Too many young, inexperienced, unskilled drivers who want to be part of the cast of The Fast and the Furious.

4. People who watch you approach and at the very last minute decide to make the turn 2 inches in front of you to merge with traffic - this is an EPIDEMIC here! Be aware!

5. And when did talking on the phone become so crucial to our existence. Too many people on the dang phone!

These are just tidbits. These people create traffic by leaving football length gaps between them and going 45 mph on a stretch of highway that's 65.

I am a native New Yorker, and Nyers may drive aggressively, but at least they DRIVE.

The worse traffic by far has got to be the Maryland, DC, VA area. This is where I first experienced road rage. My commute from work became a 3-hour ordeal(ONE WAY!) and my gut started burning. I was ready to rip my steering wheel out of my car and beat somebody to death with it. Needless to say, for my own good and the good of others, I had to find a job with a better commute.

The thing with the DC area is that it doesn't take an accident or bad weather...it's pure volume of cars and you move like 3 inches every 20 min. And the alternate routes are just as congested. It's the worse and coupled with some sucky drivers it's almost unbearable.

I happen to love to drive, but there are times where I encounter incidents on the road that have me turning right back around to sit at home. It's just not worth the aggravation.

It's actually enjoyable to ride through the city with all your senses opened, constantly scanning your environment for sources of potential danger.

Hey, two more Boston bike people! My awesome gas-friendly little car is currently at the end of my street, and if I wasn't visiting friends this weekend it would stay there until the 1st Monday of the month when I'd have to move it to the other side for street sweeping.

I love my ride into and out of work. I am lucky in that my office building is across the street from the bike path along the river, so I can cut across to it on side streets and stay out of traffic for about 1/2 of my ride. The rest of the time I'm dodging buses, delivery trucks, and potholes but I'll tell you I'm much more spatially aware on my bike than I am in my car. Now when I drive I keep coming too close to the curb whenever I try to turn right.