Road Signals

Have you ever wondered where the wave or the middle finger gestures originated? No. You haven't. In fact, I don't think anyone has taken the time to care about this besides Tom Vanderbilt. In his blog "The Bird, the Wave, and the Shanka" (http://www.slate.com/id/2242777/), Vanderbilt particularly focuses on "the flash" signal that warns yourslef or oncoming traffic of a police man further down the road. In contemplating its origin, he says that one theory "speculates that the gesture came into widespread practice only with the advent of a steering-column-mounted headlight control in the late 1960s, which made it simpler to "flash" than the old floor-positioned switch". This column reflects his interest in American car travel and how it is such a significant part of our past and current culture. I think this short blog was written in attempt to intrigue his readers in something that no one has ever thought about. Why do we take the time to flash our lights to help someone out who "can't return the favor"?

Tom Vanderbilt

Tom Vanderbilt is a columnist/author who has wrote about his interests of culture, travel, technology, and design in many publications such as Slate, The New York Times Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.  His New York Times bestseller, "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do", expresses his particular intrest in traffic and how Americans react to it. Two of his recent blogs include ranting about parking meters and wondering how traffic signals such as "the wave" and "the bird" have came about. In addition to writing, he gives lectures at colleges and has appered on "ABC New's Nightline" and "The Today Show".