Traffic

I read an article the other day about traffic signs. Sometimes the number of signs guiding people through the act of driving seems ridiculous. It’s at the point where people don’t even watch the road any more. As a pedestrian, if I’m crossing the street and the traffic light turns green, I run for my life! People don’t look around, they look at the lights. Perhaps the most defensive drivers still look at the road ahead of them. There was a town that removed almost all of its traffic signs, took down curbs, and let people walk and cycle all over the place. The result was fewer accidents, less traffic congestion, and a more attractive town. People felt that the roads less safe, and drove more cautiously to compensate. Even in the busiest cities people drive cautiously in parking lots. I think it’s only because the rules aren’t as clear. It requires thinking, which means our brains don’t fall asleep.

People get so impatient if they have to wait even two seconds while driving! Yet these same people can handle 20 seconds of waiting in a supermarket lineup, or 20 minutes of waiting at a restaurant. We’re an impatient society at the best of times, but why does driving bring our very worst? My theory is that social interaction is severely limited on the road. When we are face to face in a lineup, or walking down the street, it is clear that the old lady ahead of you is just that—an old lady, a human being. If you want you can say “excuse me.” You can even strike up a conversation.

Let us look, in contrast, at the language available to us in cars. Vehicles have no faces, so there is no sharing of emotions. Body language is minimal, and the messages we can send all come across as impatient. By inching forward, we indicate a desire to go. So, we have to turn to the spoken word…

A few years ago I made an effort to learn some Mandarin Chinese. I didn’t get very far, but I do remember that there is great potential to be misunderstood if you don’t pronounce words properly. “Horse” and “mother” are famously similar and it is easy to imagine an unintentional insult. However, how much greater is the potential for miscommunication in the language of cars, known as Honk. Unlike Chinese, Honk is atonal—in fact all words are spoken with the same loud, sharp inflection. There is only one vowel, E, and no consonants.

To see the potential for confusion, let’s look at the conjugation of the verb “to go” in Honk:

I go – E
You go – E
He/she/it goes – E
We go – E
You (plural) go – E
They go – E

As if that wasn’t ambiguous enough, look at the translations from English to Honk for the following common words and phrases:

Be careful – E
Fuck you – E
Go ahead – E
Go to hell – E
Hello – E
Sorry – E
Watch out – E

The words for “hello” and “fuck you” are so similar that people generally remain silent rather than risk offence. There is no chance for philosophical discussion, or even chatting about the weather. The words for “rain” and “sun” are so similar, and once again their pronunciation is similar to “fuck you”. With such a weak language, there is no wonder that social interaction between drivers is minimal. Most maintain a surly silence.

Failure to communicate properly leads to misunderstanding. This is true in the office, on the construction site, or in relationships. On the road, the total inability to communicate guarantees misunderstanding. To compensate, the government gives us lines painted on the pavement and signs and lights that tell us exactly where and when to go, in hopes that we won’t need to talk to one another. It’s a reasonable way to control traffic, but it’s no way to live.