If Mad Max has taught us anything, it's that even in the ruins of the post-apocalypse, enterprising survivors will always get a few cars working again. Modder Uhmatt has made this concept a reality with a mod for Fallout: New Vegas called Traffic, which adds moving vehicles to the crumbling streets. Now you'll see a few cars and trucks rumbling along the shattered asphalt along with the usual on-foot caravans. Very cool.

The mod is still in its early stages, described by Uhmatt as a 'beta/early preview.' As such, it's a little rough. There are no NPCs behind the wheel—the vehicles are technically creatures following preset routes—and they have a bit of trouble navigating the rougher bits of road, often halting to spin around and find a way across gaps and bumps. It's still pretty neat, however, to be running along, hear the rumble of an engine, and see a battered old pickup truck cruise past, complete with animated wheels.

After I installed the mod, it took a while for the first vehicle to show up, but within a few minutes I began spotting cars and trucks intermittently. Don't worry, it's not like there are huge traffic jams: typically I've only seen one car at a time, or occasionally two or three driving through the same general area. It fits in with New Vegas nicely, feeling like a few resourceful citizens got an old jalopy running and are simply heading to work (or to the casino).

You can find the Traffic mod over at Nexus Mods. I look forward to seeing it where it goes in the future. Thanks to the Nexus Mods twitter account for the tip!