Author Tom Vanderbilt discusses his new book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do on Monday, September 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

In Traffic, Vanderbilt gets under the hood of everyday driving to uncover the surprisingly complex web of physical, psychological, and technical factors that explain how traffic works, why we drive the way we do, and what our driving says about us.

Among Vanderbilt’s revelations are who is most likely to honk at whom, why traffic jams form, the unintended consequences of our quest for safety, and the most common mistakes drivers make in parking lots.

Vanderbilt writes about design, technology, science, and culture for Wired, Slate, The New York Times, and other publications.

The event is co-sponsored by Rainy Day Books.  Copies of Traffic will be available for sale, and the author will sign copies purchased during the event.