How One Driver Can Prevent a Traffic Jam

[@Jabid21]

It all boils down to not being selfish on the freeway. 1. Leave enough space to react and not overbrake. The trick is for you not to brake harder than the car in front of you, but the opposite so you can smoothly slow down; by the time you finish braking you are safely behind the other car. If you tailgate, you end up braking harder than the car in front and start the wave. Some people try to do that but miserably fail because they decide to leave two car lengths in front of them even when they are stopped. 2. Be nice and let people merge into the lane by opening up space or moving away from the right lane for freeway on ramps. 3. Keep a steady pace. You can do that just by using gas pedals. You don't always need to accelerate and brake. It surprises me how many people floor the gas and then brake when they get too close to the car in front of them. 4. Stop being a left lane hog. That is the one that frustrates most drivers and does keep the freeway from moving efficiently.

[@Daschickenify]

This is one of the techniques of hypermiling. There is sooooooo many drivers who overbrake and have awful reaction times, tons of the traffic is completely avoidable. From personal experience, the effect of one driver being smooth in heavy Atlanta traffic extends back about 10 cars. Its no miracle, but it helps.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Dogs Barking

[@SeanMoore]

@@NazriB det man inte vet har man ineng aneng om

[@JoshuaB-p8c]

​@NazriB you see it work out in the real world, in the lane that moving usually the person in front is leaving a safe following distance and is coasting most of the time instead of breaking. in the lanes that are gridlocked are with cars who are following too close and breaking over everything.

[@joeb7373]

This is absolutely correct. Voice of experience- 2,000,000+ miles on L.A. freeways over 40+ years

[@inyobill]

I hear folks bad-mouth LA drivers (I grew up in San Diego, IMHO not jearly as good a road culture) I have driven in a lot of major US metropolitan areas, east middle and west. LA drivers are largely disciplined, patient and courteous. put your signal on, and a space opens up.

[@genericusername337]

but if you don't rush into the gap, 5 cars next to you will think you a sucker and get in front cause it looks like they've found the golden lane that their momma always promised them they deserve

[@wbeaty]

You're a RACE CAR DRIVER! Others got past! You're NOW IN FIFTH PLACE!!! Oh no. Go and play that same game while riding the city bus or subway. Aggressively force your way past all the other people sitting in their seats! Then fight with others clustered around the door. Each of them NEEDS to be "first," can't stand being second, and will risk death to gain just one second of headway. When the bus doors open, the men in white coats fling their net, and take you all away to the loony bin: dangerously delusional people who believe that their daily commute is actually a *competitive race to be first!* When you're driving on the congested highway, you're actually riding on a giant invisible city-bus. Sit in your seat and stop making trouble. Don't start an insane fight to take over the seats slightly closer to the door. If you try it, the INVISIBLE BUS DRIVER will take revenge, and slow everyone down to about 2MPH.

[@genericusername337]

lol, you are right, but I think I'm just saying that one person believing in this rule doesn't work, cause other people will not allow the gap to form...and then you really do lose time comparatively because you made the sacrifice for nothing! not saying I don't agree with the rule though.

[@wbeaty]

Not allow? I've been driving with gaps since the mid-1990s. It's easy. I've also tried it on vacation in Denver/Boulder, LA/Longbeach. No difference from I-5 in Seattle. Why would people think that large gaps are impossible? The big trucks are doing it all the time! I think our mistake is caused by weaving drivers. We think they're "stealing our space," when really they're just weaving back and forth. Then, if someone tries opening a small gap, they'll immediately give up trying it again because yes, somebody will immediately jump into it. But actually that was a lane-weaving driver who thought your lane was going faster, so they jumped in. After awhile, the other lane speed up, so they jump back out. Then back in. Then back out. Annnnd ...after an hour, they're still right nearby, unable to get ahead despite their constant lane-changing. (But notice that they didn't delay you at all! They didn't "win," but also didn't slow you down.) To cause any real delay, those drivers would have to jump into your gap and then stay there permanently. (Making your commute TWO SECONDS longer o the humanity!) Unless we *actually keep track of cars ahead of us,* we'd never realize that these merging drivers are just lane-weavers and not "gap stealers." So, if someone jumps into your gap, start watching. They'll almost always jump back out as soon as your lane slows down even briefly. Another problem: people seem to think that if a few cars jump ahead of them, they'll be ten minutes late to work! Wrong, because ten cars jumping in is NOTHING. Even a hundred cars jumping ahead, that would be almost nothing; just a couple minutes worth of delay at most. Too small to notice, compared to forty minute commute. Think: during congestion the drivers have a timing of 1-2sec between cars. If I start maintaining a big gap during my whole commute, and ten cars jump in, that only makes my trip 10-20 seconds longer. TOTALLY INSIGNIFICANT. (But in reality, I find that it doesn't even happen. Only a couple cars ever jump in. If that. I try and try to get twenty cars to jump into my gap, and they won't! All the usual cars were lane-weaving drivers who then jump back out again. Those don't count.) So, whenever you keep a gap open while commuting, and SEVERAL HUNDRED cars jump in, then you finally have good reason to keep your gap closed. So, go out and try it and see. Try it for many days. Count how many jump into your gap during your trip. And of course subtract the lane-weavers who later jumped back out again.

[@daniel7899999]

wbeaty I don't like lane jumpers. I don't have a problem with people coming in front of me, especially if they are positioning themselves in the lane that they need to be in to get to where they are going. I also will typically not let people overtake me just so they can get ahead by one car length even though I am going the same speed as the car ahead of me. It doesn't make sense for them to do it. If traffic is flowing good and there is space for them to weave, I don't have a problem with it though. I just don't like people trying to jump in front of me when its not going to get them anywhere faster.

[@easymac79]

Two scenerios: #1. Watch the lanes around you, leave enough space to let a few cars in if they want the space. Ease up on the accelerator, but avoid the brakes. Your headway will close a little, just coast until there is more space, then begin to accelerate again at a modest rate. Soon you will be at cruising speed, and the same group of cars ahead and behind of you are the same. Notice, the ahead ones, are the same. You didn't lose any time, just a spot in a line, which is probably now moving at 60-75MPH, Because! you just let them in and coasted. #2. Be watchful of your place, keep an eye out for those trying to get in front of you. If they signal, use that chance to secure your spot. Keep your foot steady above the accelerator, ready to zip in, don't let those assholes cut in front of you. Why should they be allowed to drive ahead then force their way in? I'm just going to leave this there. If you took the time to read all this, then you get my point. If not, w/e, not worth the fight. Drive safe everyone!

[@rikilshah]

This idea is actually practical. Keeping calm during driving is the best remedy for accidents and traffic problems.

[@ecduzitgood]

Rikil Shah staying out of the passing lane unless passing is how to stop traffic jambs. If there is room in front of you and someone right behind you, you are the problem. Just get out of the way and let people pass.

[@FeikeLeemkuil]

Big fan! Another effective technique I use often: When a couple people in front of you break and you have a large space in front, slightly hold the brake. You don’t lose much speed but drivers behind you brake earlier even if there is no jam yet. This motivates drivers to also leave space while there is no jam yet. I am constantly trying such things to make the whole move more efficiently again.

[@saradomin89898]

absolutely appalling that ppl don't understand this. i do this and i'm called a "grandpa" driver.

[@mountainhobo]

[Keeping the space in front of you] -- This is what my dad told me when I was a kid. Seems people have known this since days immemorial, yet surprisingly so few follow this simple rule today.

[@notrappaport5340]

Driver's ed classes should teach this. (And driver's ed should be mandatory in every state.)

[@viktorpedia7382]

@@notrappaport5340 Well, driver's ed in Sweden do talk about it. It still happens here to. Im more inclined of CGP Greys method: Remove the humans

[@Steven-mm7gb]

but if everyone leaves a big space there wont be enough room on the road...the real key is to keep a steady speed...dont over brake dont speed up to fast...its ok to drive close if the guy in front of you is pacing properly ...one problem is /are the people who over brake for no reason

[@SeanMoore]

@@Steven-mm7gb the point is driving closer is you create more opportunities for jams to happen. If you leave a gap then there’s no need to worry. It’s just overcompensating jackasses worried about ‘losing’ to another driver. Purely a disease of the mind.

[@Steven-mm7gb]

@@SeanMoore I agree and I leave a gap alot of the time and try to just stay moving and watch every one in front of me stop and by the time I reach them they are just starting to roll again...then you have a bunch of people pulling in front of you racing just to stop...but if people are behind me and following close they wont have to hit their brakes because im not. we are all just moving along.At some point if the gaps are to big and if everyone leaves a big gap then there isnt any room left. I think alot of people just dont think too much while driving and are just in a hurry or thinking about other stuff while they drive.

[@DougHNuts-ee3vn]

I'm a professional driver and this is exactly what I concluded a few years ago so THANKS for making this video!

[@randgrithr7387]

I figured this out in my first month driving OTR.

[@tmanepic]

Stay on the rightmost lane except to pass, and maintain proper following distance to avoid braking whenever the person in front of you taps the brakes. Two simple things that would prevent a massive amount of traffic hold-ups. But of course, this is America, and the "I do what I want" mentality always trumps logic and reason.

[@SeanMoore]

still 1 driver can make the difference - don't worry too much about what other people are doing - they're going to do it anyway - be the one person who's actually making a positive difference

[@michaelmarquis8072]

that actually causes more jam ups because you have slow merging traffic coming on the freeway and a blocked right lane. and then you have faster traffic in the left hand lane not letting people get over to make room for traffic coming onto the freeway. leaving space and not trying to go faster than the car in front of you is by far the most effective method to relieve traffic jam ups.

[@NSUScooter]

michael marquis No, that’s false. 1- “Not trying to go faster than the car in front of you” is another major cause for traffic jams. For instance, let’s say the speed limit is 65. If someone is in the Left lane going 60, they’re not speeding. But if you’re behind them going 65, you shouldn’t have to slow down to 60 to avoid going faster than them. They should be checking their surroundings enough to realize they’re going slower than the car behind them. “Slower Traffic Keep Right” signs are posted all over freeways in the US. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand the whole “well of they don’t have to follow the speed limit sign, i don’t have to follow the slower traffic keep right sign” logic, but it’s silly, immature, and causes more harm than good. 2- “And then you have traffic in the left hand lane not letting people get over”... Once again, that’s not how that works. People don’t “let you over” into the left lane. If they’re going that much faster than you, you MUST wait for a gap, once you see a gap and the last car before the gap appears gets next to you, SPEED UP TO MATCH THE SPEED OF LEFT LANE DRIVERS, and then you “merge” into that lane behind that last car like the Zipper effect. I can’t count how many times someone got into the left lane to just BARELY pass the car in front of them, only to get in front of me going a solid 10mph slower than I’m going. That’s extremely inconsiderate and causes brake lights. This is where Driver Skill comes into play. Most drivers don’t have good driving Skills, but possess IMMACULATE “Driver Obedience.” This needs to change. If it doesn’t change because Humans are simply incapable of operating motor vehicles in large groups, then the only solution is Self Driving Cars .

[@Senator_Senart]

​@@NSUScooterI've been a delivery driver for 24 years Michael Marquis is correct and you are just plain wrong..... Traffic jams are NOT created by "left lane hogs" that is just a scapegoating myth. (Scapegoating is when you place ALL the blame on just one person for what is wrong) Mass tailgaiting is the cause of traffic jams NOT just one lone "left lane hog".... In most cases when the "left lane hog" finally moves over to the right the 6-10 cars that where tailgaiting the "left lane hog" continue there tailgating line in the left lane. (Mass tailgating)

[@eddiehartsfield9012]

@@NSUScooter Everyone staying in the rightmost lane in a large city like Los Angeles would be a disaster. Too many people are trying to get on and off the freeway. You need to move over at least one lane as soon as you get on the freeway. In fact, CalTrans is considering restricting the right lane of certain Los Angeles freeways for only those exiting and entering during rush-hour.

[@TitanFlare]

I don't know why it's not mentioned but maintaining a constant speed is another one of the biggest things. Cruise control should be required on freeways. There's no reason to go from 75 to 60 to 45 and back up to 65 within a matter of second. Keep your speed the same and traffic dissapears

[@伊紹菲]

It’s me. I’m the person who leaves a large gap in front of me in traffic jams. Partially because I know I’m inexperienced and thus have a slower reaction time, but also because of this.

[@syedazharsyedibrahim1763]

To give or not to give (way to other cars) that is the question!! 1. Moving at steady speed with ample space in front and give way to cars around you - The cars behind you will fume and think you are a slow coach. Many cars will take advantage over your "generosity". Some will be thankful and you will help them towards having a nice day. Some may even feel soo good that they will give to others what you gave them......being considerate. You will use less fuel because your car glides instead of accelerate and brakes. The cars in your lane behind you although may move a bit slower will also glide along giving them a smoother ride. You also make the road safer and the drive less stressful. 2. You tail him as close as you safely can, preventing any car from cutting in front of you - You probably do get to your destination faster by perhaps 5- 15%. There will be the series of acceleration and brakes, a bumpy ride for your passengers, a faster wear and tear to your vehicle. Some drivers will think not so nicely of you. You reinforce the idea and feeling that the road is unsafe and stressful to others. Many will copy your style of driving and becomes more "anxious" when on roads. So.....choose which one you want to be. Currently in your everyday road experience, these 2 types are always there. If there are more drivers of the 1st attitude, then you will have a pleasant drive. If you have more of the 2nd drivers, well its going to be a rough day. Have a pleasant day!!

[@wbeaty]

I think the gains from tailgating would be more like 0.5%. On a typical commute, if we successfully block, say, ten cars from merging, we might shave 10-20sec from our 30min trip time. Most people don't realize that cars are spaced 1-2sec apart. But then, if our tailgating creates (or maintains) a daily jam, our "gain" is actually an enormous loss, minutes or tens of minutes of delay. In other words, in our frantic efforts to save seconds, we've lost minutes. It's the "escape from a burning building" situation. The more aggressively we all push ahead, the slower everyone goes. If we could only tailgate hard enough, traffic would completely freeze solid.

[@jogabonito8989]

This is the exact opposite of what videos like this are trying to teach you. Accelerating and stopping to close the gap is exactly why traffic jams exist. You might think that you are that bit nearer to your destination and therefore faster but you're not. All you're doing is disrupting the smooth flow of traffic. Stop and go traffic is much much slower than maintaining a steady but slow pace. This is because every time you accelerate and brake, there is a small delay for you to make that decision and execute it. Multiply that with every other driver in front of and behind you and it adds up to minutes or hours of delay. Even a small tap of a brake from a driver far ahead can send a shockwave that grinds traffic to a stop miles down the road. Notice at a traffic light, when the light goes green the cars don't all move ahead at the same time? Why not? The first car moves first, then the second, then the third and so on. Because each car have to wait for the car ahead to go before they can go. Imagine if all the cars are connected via a cable, like a train. The first car moves, then every other car moves along with it immediately. Don't you think that is much faster? As soon as traffic stops on the highway, you get that same situation at the traffic light. Opening a gap and maintaining as steady pace is like trying to get each car to work as a big train, moving along at a constant rate without waiting for one another to move and then brake repeatedly. Bear in mind as others in the comments section are trying to say - If the traffic is already flowing smoothly but slowly there is no need to leave a large gap ahead. You only need to do that if traffic is stop and go so you can maintain a steady pace without catching the guy in front of you too quickly and braking too often, further perpetuating that shockwave I was talking about. Look up on videos about the anatomy of a traffic jam. They are quite fascinating.

[@SeanMoore]

not sure about #2 - if you play your cars right you can actually get there faster using #1 if you keep your eyes open to what's going on around you.

[@inyobill]

@@SeanMoore #2: as much as 10% highly unlikely. 1% max most cases. Unless your tailgating gets you in an accident, then 10% is conservative.

[@eddiehartsfield9012]

They've done studies and tailgating and/or speeding, saves anywhere from seconds to a minute in commuter traffic. You have to be driving at a high speed for hundreds of miles to actually save any significant amount of time.

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

I agree with William Beaty completely, and I've observed what he describes while traveling in dense commuter traffic over several decades. However, no matter how good a few individuals are in trying to smooth traffic flow, there are plenty of selfish dunderheads who do their level best to cause disruptions and traffic jams. I blame it largely on inadequate driver training, people who never learn how to properly drive on expressways and freeways. It only works if motorists cooperate.

[@cr-iv1el]

I've been doing this for years. It works like gears. Always leave 2 car lengths in front of you. Remember, the road is to be shared.

[@xeroxre6837]

Failure to allow merge should be penalised by immediate loss of license and 500 year ban.

[@eddiehartsfield9012]

A college buddy of mine did that and he was ticketed by a Washington state cop with a reckless driving ticket! It cost him several thousand dollars.

[@jnrldr]

Civil engineers in the transportation industry have known this for years. This is not news. I first heard this reviewing traffic models on hurricane evacuation routes during a storm.

[@120ail1]

People are selfish and uninformed. Bad habits die hard. There may be ways to ease traffic jams, but probably won't happen until we get self driving cars that follow pre-programmed rules.

[@mayorofsexytown6958]

agreed, i look forward to that day.

[@AndreSilva-jm3cg]

The great thing is that not everyone need to follow this. Just a few drivers leaving a gap are enough.

[@SeanMoore]

network effect - once you give enough time for people to notice what's happening they begin to copy the strategy. When traffic is moving to a crawl it's not like you have anything better to do.

[@NSUScooter]

Sean Moore i wish that were true. Once a traffic jam starts, too many people demonstrate just how unskilled they are at driving. When traffic is clear, everyone looks like a good driver. But the minute there’s traffic, you can quickly identify who is completely unskilled behind the wheel. You have people who either mash the gas, or mash the brakes because they have no throttle control. And then you have the people who have EXTREME temper tantrums and make erratic movements constantly. And then you have people who are either just plain too old, too tired or honestly too inebriated to drive. All of these things come into play here.

[@michaelmarquis8072]

plain and simple, you cannot go faster than the car in front of you. if there are 10,00 cars in front of you all hitting the brakes what is the point of trying to go "fast". me, i leave more space that way I never have to hit the brakes and traffic starts to flow much more smoothly.

[@anonymousdoe3755]

In Philadelphia 24/7 there are traffic jams when people merge. And in the left lane everyone drives fast, then has to hit the brakes because of someone driving regular and BAM there goes a traffic jam.

[@mariozombie2843]

Just passed my defensive driving. So now I leave a 2,4,6 second gap depending on speed. Not many cut in front since there is a bigger gap, just cruise a few seconds to maintain distance instead of slamming the brakes everyone someone cuts on front.

[@harrychen8117]

I think this idea works and we all should leave bigger gap on the road and allow cars to merge more easily. Most big truck drivers are already doing it to avoid braking. I have been doing this type of driving for some time to save fuel. In the beginning I don't like being cut by merging cars in front of me but after a while I am used to it now - let me treat other drivers as my neighbor.

[@clearmist7170]

I always keep a good distance. I never care if someone gets in between my gap. It doesn't make that much of a difference, in terms of time loss when you think about it. Also, sometimes when I'm trying to save gas and am in no rush, I will purposely drive on the right lane of the freeway and go behind a slow truck or car, because when you drive slower you save on gas, of course, if there's no car that's driving slow, then I drive the regular speed limit or close to it.

[@sarahholt587]

You're not being cut... people are just trying to get onto the highway.

[@JR-he6fn]

I do this but stupid drivers in the lane next to me all bunch in because they think my lane is faster because of the huge gap

[@neuideas]

That's kind of the point. You want them to switch into your lane, and some will. This will reduce traffic density in other lanes, allowing the potential to unblock the jam.

[@aSASa45454]

@@neuideas Nope, reality is you will slow your lane down to the point people behind you switch lanes and pass you. This is bad.

[@neuideas]

@@aSASa45454 Sorry, try again. I demonstrate the success of this method of driving on a daily basis, and have been doing this for about 6 years or so. It reduces driving stress, prevents or alleviates freeway traffic jams, and allows higher average speeds during rush hour.

[@aSASa45454]

@@neuideas It does not. It's also not possible for you to determine that without an outside viewer.

[@neuideas]

@@aSASa45454 If my speed approximates the speed of the car in front of me, then how does this slow down traffic directly behind me? Should someone pass me and then get back in front of me, that means they are going faster than I am, so I don't really have a need to slow down if I already have generous spacing in front of me. Might I need to slow down to recreate this space? Possibly, but not definitely, and even if I do, it is both brief and minimal. The part I roll my eyes over is when someone decides to get out from behind me, pass me, gets back in front of me, then rides his brakes in order to keep from rear-ending the car in front of us. Keeping generous spacing does not necessarily go hand-in-hand with driving slower than everyone else. The fact of the matter is, tight spacing creates big potential for traffic jams on multi-lane highways. It is still, after all, a single road. If you try treating a 3-lane road as 3 roads (instead of 1 road with 2 passing lanes, or 1 road with a passing lane, driving lane, and merging lane), you will create jams as traffic density increases. Position yourself such that you have no vehicles to your immediate right or left, and leave generous spacing in front of you to accommodate lane changing from other drivers, and the potential for jams dwindles. In addition, higher average speeds are possible, creating shorter rush hours.

[@neuideas]

You don't just want to create gaps in front of you, you also want to position yourself such that there are no drivers to your immediate left or right, except to pass or be passed.

[@georgehiggins1320]

Woah. That's really interesting. I'd never heard of that before. Do you do it by trying to keep up with the gaps that other drivers are leaving left and right of you? Can you explain more how you can keep more space on the sides?

[@neuideas]

@@georgehiggins1320 Step one is to roughly match speeds with the vehicle ahead of me, just staying somewhere between 3 and 5 car-lengths behind them. Step two, I actively monitor any vehicles entering my blind spots. If they are going faster than I am, I slow slightly and briefly until they finish passing me. If I pass them, I accelerate slightly and briefly, reducing the time they are on my flank. This isn't foolproof. If traffic is coming to a halt, inevitably I'm stuck with vehicles on my sides, which I can only resolve when traffic moves again. All I can do is make sure there is space ahead of me, and anyone changing lanes into my lane ahead of me free up space next to me, and traffic around me moves, allowing me to find empty flanks again. On occasion, this strategy allows me to find an opportunity to pass a bunch of vehicles at once. That's gratifying, too.

[@singletotakentv9583]

Keeping in the left most or right most lane depending on which country lane and only use the outer lanes for over taking and not hogging the overtaking lane.

[@GoldenTV3]

They should really teach this in drivers ed before getting your license.

[@CEO-tp3go]

I started doing this and it kinda works

[@MegF142857]

My driving style is to keep 2 second rule on driver ahead of me, which leaves spacing. It is safer and you aren't going to rear end anyone that way. If someone too close behind, then need to leave even more space to make up for their tail gating. Of course, people fill in the space and then you have to back off again. Maybe I get somewhere very slightly later.. maybe not..., but it is safer and does allow traffic movement. People often will wave a thanks that I gave that space for them, as they try to move over to an exit. He is right that leaving spaces helps the flow. Ultimately we'd all get there safer and overall faster if we'd just use politeness and leave some gaps and let people in to avoid gridlock.

[@easymac79]

I've noticed on my new route to work which includes a 20 mile stretch of I-49 though a commonly congested interchange near Kansas City, MO that the larger headway I offer, the faster the lead car drives. I usually cruise in the left lane about 8MPH over the limit if weather is clear. But as you start to provide a larger gap, the lead car will actually speed up, soon you will notice a larger gap, but steady speed. I've found myself drifting up in speed because of this. Not sure if this is an area thing, or what, but I want to get a dash-cam to record it. I love driving and the study of human behavior.

[@SeanMoore]

I used to use the 2 second rule too but more space is even better because it minimises the opportunities for congestion - think murphys law - if it can happen it will happen.

[@eddiehartsfield9012]

In Los Angeles commuter traffic I leave four seconds. And you know what, my google arrival time never changes, no matter how many people fill that gap. And oddly, not very many do.

[@kylecard7148]

Been doing this for years

[@77gravity]

Merge at the END of the merge, like a zipper, not all along the merge space. Of course the next driver to come along will drive down the EMPTY merge lane, to the merge point. Not their fault all the other people changed lanes before the merge. Like a zipper. It only zips at one point, not simultaneously along the whole length. The "slider" stays at the merge point, and the teeth (the cars) move through the slider.

[@akebengtsson1223]

You are correct, this way is how they are intended. But people will think you're trying to skip in line

[@PeterShieldsukcatstripey]

Good advice

[@mariozombie2843]

Never drive in the right lane, that is where all the cars entering/exiting get in a jam. 2nd right lane is full of cars that want to skip the line at the exit and squeeze in last second. So 3rd lane or over.

[@quito787]

CGP Grey's channel here on youtube has a video entitled "The Simple Solution to Traffic" which explains this concept in a nice easy to understand manner.

[@wbeaty]

He gets it wrong though. Even a small amount of driver-education makes a HUGE difference. Education like, "green traffic light means go, and if you go through a red light, you'll die/get ticket." Has the same ever been done these highway driving concepts? Of course not. The Grey version is a world where nobody knows why red lights are there, the lights are never mentioned in driver's ed, and where even your license examiner is clueless about red lights. The obvious solution ISN'T to teach what traffic lights are, right? Because people cannot learn! (Especially when they've *never* encountered the concept.) The only possible solution is self-driving cars! Instead why not have a few lines of explanation in the Driver's License test-prep booklet, and a question or two on your driver's written test? Let everyone find out that the ideal spacing in congested traffic is *not* 10ft as everyone assumes. It's 100ft. Yes, many will ignore this, just as many ignore speed limits. But right now the situation is similar to having 55MPH speed limits, while every single vehicle speeds at well over 100MPH. Look at congested highways during rush-hour. Do you see lots of dead-stopped tailbacks, with many/most of the cars having 100ft gaps? Nope. Only one in a thousand drivers do such things. Try mentioning it to people, and they'll insist that wide gaps certainly have to make the traffic worse! It's just that we've never encountered the simple facts. They're not given in drivers-ed, nor any part of drivers' licensing.

[@alka1ine]

That's a good start, but the simplest way to prevent phantom traffic jams isn't even mentioned in this video and police rarely pull anyone over for it despite all states having some sort of law on the books about it. www.americakeepright.com

[@wbeaty]

In 30yrs of commuting, I've never seen a phantom traffic jam caused by people camped in the right lane. I've only seen it happen when everyone is going well over 50MPH. Over fifty, that's called "not a traffic jam." It is annoying, because it keeps us from being able to exceed the speed limit. If all the 60MPH drivers keep right, then the 80MPH drivers can easily zip past.

[@alka1ine]

wbeaty I was referring to people not staying right unless passing, so I think we're talking about the same thing. I've seen it numerous times where things are fine at 60-70mph and then there's someone doing 55 in the middle or left which stops lanes on both sides from passing effectively...then there's an on-ramp and cars merging, but oh no! The cars in the right lane can't get left because the middle lane is blocked, so now they have to slow down...then somebody fills a gap further back in middle lane as right slows down....but things are still blocked, so it gets worse and worse until things are barely going 5mph. This happens to varying extents on my daily commute in Chicago. If they decide to use the street sweepers on the left shoulder and people are forced to stop riding over there, their lane-changing to the middle and right lanes is sketchy at best and everything gets backed up for quite a while even at 9:30am. I realize other parts of the country might be better about it, but in general, people in America aren't taught the basics and don't think about it, so when I flash brights at someone barely doing the speed limit in the left lane when the right is clear, they just put down their phone and give a confused and angry look.

[@blazed-watch]

Even in New York you can give space. You may not be popular among the plebs, but your insurance rates will go down ;)

[@alexlefevre3555]

I have been saying and doing this for years... But generally in application it doesn't work. People see a gap as a means to get ahead of other drivers at all costs. The gap disappears and the problem becomes a frustrating feedback loop.

[@TitanFlare]

How is getting in between a gap a problem? By definition, if they're getting in front of you, they're going faster than you (at least should be). Even if it's 1 mph faster, that gap will quickly come right back

[@aaronjaggan]

I like to leave a space...its easier for me to brake comfortably.

[@discipleshipwithdavid]

Mr Beaty, do you think there is a way to educate the mass public about this more optimized way of driving?

[@wbeaty]

Sure: write a tiny website about it, then it gets into the Wall Street Journal! :) Or this: how do new drivers find out that we're supposed to drive on the right side of the road? Stop at stop signs? What do the yellow and red lights mean? The same education could also inform everyone about highway commuter jams and the behaviors which cause them. We do already hear about the hazards of tailgating. But nobody ever tells us that, on congested highways, the ideal gap-distance is ...EIGHTY FEET?!! Yep. If everyone drivess with over 50ft gaps, and the flow will increase enormously. And certainly we're never shown that certain enormous daily jams are sensitive, and will evaporate if a few drivers open up space and refuse to try blocking all the lane-jumpers.

[@SeanMoore]

you don't need to - use network effect - use the strategy - if even 2 or 3 people copy you and 2 or 3 people copy each of those people it's a success - I did this single-handedly (even though it took people about 10 minutes to catch on to what I was doing).

[@CatarineausArmory]

The ONE solution that would solve ALL the traffic problems is simple. Pay attention to what you are doing.

[@joelabella750]

Riding motorcycles/scooters will definitely eliminate this traffic congestion problem but people are too scared to try. I’ve been riding a motorcycle daily for commuting since 1998 and I’ve never been stuck in ANY traffic congestion….

[@SCIENCE1234100]

Will try 👍

[@olivierbeaudry1747]

The traffic problem can happen behind them this way. The efficient way is to keep an equal gap between the car in front AND behind you. People filling those gap without useless braking.

[@altriish6683]

I think it also helps if you don't take a job that's 30 miles from your home, but what do I know

[@lukemelone2197]

It does not work in New York. I saw someone try it leaving a 3 car length gap. He got cut off by 20 vehicles. I was number 7

[@ArneHoe]

Not fill the gab in front of you works OK - UNLESS there's a jam or or risk of a jam. Jams are not created from the back, but from the front cars; worst case leaving a lot of space might force the cars behind you to break... this is 'How One Driver Can Create a Traffic Jam'! Then best strategy for all is to fill in the gab AS FAST AS POSSIBLE where the queue 'starts' = the front car(s) in the queue! All this means that the rule mentioned is only valid if the flow of cars is already reasonable OK. All-in-all a very limited advise 🤨

[@mikegillihan4546]

3 second rule. It definitely works.

[@aznsumthing]

One driver cannot prevent a traffic jam, although a single driver can cause a jam. People’s habit will not change. The only solution is the self driving car. Robots follow rules much better.

[@wbeaty]

One driver can smooth out miles of stop-go driving, erasing the "traffic waves." The waves of congestion are one type of jam. (Whenever the waves appear, the traffic flow is reduced by 10-30 percent.) So clearly it's possible for an individual to have an effect. That's what got me started. I discovered the other jam-busting effects by accident, when I was trying to smooth out the traffic-waves. After putting up my Trafficwaves website, the professional truckers started emailing me, telling me that they'd known about the jam-busting tricks for years. The truckers sit up high, and can see the effects of the changes they make in congestion. Me, I had to visualize it (except for the wave-smoothing. I could see that directly.)

[@baytownbert2]

It absolutely works.

[@tooshmart6669]

This is most likely the guy in the fast lane doing 55mph. Slow and stubborn drivers are the biggest reasons for accidents. A single slow left lane driver can cause chaos for all the other cars around and the science proves it. Just stare at ants in transit and watch what happens when a slow ant is in the way. That is why many states now have a minimum speed limit. Everybody please tell your grandparents to stay out the left lane, PLEASE!

[@failtolawl]

there are no "fast lanes" in traffic jam situations. All traffic goes the same speed.

[@kosmicwizard]

Maintaining a 3 second gap is not going 55 it is going the same speed as the vehicles in front of you. And if they suddenly brake, you don't rear end them. Common sense!

[@mariozombie2843]

You can't go 55 in a traffic jam LOL

[@SeanMoore]

you totally missed the point - when you try to close the gap when traffic is at a standstill you aren't going anywhere so riding up someone's tailpipe in this situation is actually slowing you down. Once people catch on to what you are doing the paralell lanes decongest and the people who are in a hurry now have somewhere to move - take off the tunnel vision bro. The other thing to think about is when you have say 90 feet of go distance in front of you vs 5 feet you aren't constantly tapping your breaks (because you have to when you are too close) whereas if you have plenty of space you can slow down and coast (which is faster than stopping all the time FYI)

[@KILLKING110]

you would get a ticket here in Colorado we have what's known as the left lane law and that law states the left lane is for passing only which means if your on a highway you got to stay in the right hand lane

[@tc9634]

The single best thing any driver can do to reduce traffic is to... Not drive? Hate from car fans incoming

[@MikeLee-tv3pz]

And when there's a tailback because of lights at the front for that traffic holding it up? Or what about the times when people are going 30 instead of 40 on the motorway? Or when 1 person is going 45 for no reason and essentially taking traffic from 3 lanes to 2? These are all MUCH bigger factors, at least where I live.

[@wbeaty]

This video is about highway jams only. Traffic lights and city driving is totally different. Where traffic-lights are dominating the flow, aggressive tailgating provides "lubrication" and speeds everything up. But the same people try aggressive tailgating on highways, and it triggers traffic jams. They don't realize that, on highways with no traffic lights, the "unwritten rules" are different than the rules down in the city-grid. HIGHWAY: never do anything that causes you to hit the brakes. Find weird tricks so you can drive UTTERLY SMOOTH. CITY: never do anything that keeps others from getting through a green light. PACK THEM IN, so they don't get trapped when the light turns red.

[@TimpBizkit]

@@wbeaty I've often found that in busy cities, traffic has to stop at greens because further up the road the light is red and the road is full. The light system ends up like a clock escapement, letting only 1 or 2 cars through per light cycle and it's slow, boring and tedious. Also not having a bypass means that many people drive through a city that aren't stopping there, needlessly making it more busy.

[@MikeLee-tv3pz]

@@wbeaty and when you take longer on the highway and get stuck behind another 20 cars by the time you reach the slip road? Think about it.

[@wbeaty]

@@MikeLee-tv3pz No need to "think" when instead you can watch what actually happens, over and over, happening every day, while you're commuting. Open up space, then count the number of cars that jump into it (and subtract the ones which jump back out.) You'll find that your fears were wrong, and other drivers don't want your space. Instead, they wanted the faster lane. And during jams, there aren't any faster lanes. On my commute on I-5, it's NEVER twenty, not ever. More like two or three at most. But YMVV, you'll have to try it for a few weeks, see what actually happens. And when it works, the reliable daily jam will suddenly break up as you watch. It was only kept alive by merges being blocked. And the merges were blocked by frightened people (people terrified that, if they ever opened up some space, twenty people would jump into it! But how do they know this, if they've never opened up space? )

[@micosstar]

a 2016 vid about traffic; thanks youtube recommend! (:

[@michaelrivera9822]

I really love the driver that uses no signal and cuts into the "following distance" space that is discussed here and then brakes hard. Good times. Animation presented is idealistic. Common sense, courtesy, and driving smart is a futile effort. Semi trucks, uhaul moving trucks, towing the fifth wheel RV, and RV drivers should be limited to slower lanes of traffic to the right and nearest right lanes. Implement a North American Autobahn. Teach and ENFORCE lane discipline to drivers.

[@0_44_4]

So if I make it through the stoplight before you then...

[@w2385-i2s]

Prevent a Traffic Jam by not letting human drive. Make it all AI driver.

[@Eternal_Hoop]

w23857980 no AI

[@jackNimoy]

It’s not like this guy figured out some ancient secret. It’s called being courteous. It’s common sense. Not sure how you get passed DMV without it.

[@Moronvideos1940]

Shove the ad OK ?

[@towarzyszxyz2296]

That’s normal in poland...

[@Chris93036]

I drive on the 101 every morning. Best is to cut at the front and go with the flow of traffic. Leaving a large space infront of your car just leaves you and the rest of the cars behind you in the back of the line.

[@mrrickstur]

driving in traffic after getting off from work is the most boring thing in the world...

[@wbeaty]

I was so bored that I started dinking with traffic. Then I accidentally erased a couple miles of stop-go traffic waves on SR-520 bridge. Then I found a jam-busting effect on I-5. Then I wrote it up online at trafficwaves.org, started getting interviewed by all these AM stations, then the BBC, newspapers all over the country, finally in the Wall Street Journal. All this national attention, because of boring 40min commutes on highways. (That, plus Complexity theory, chaos thresholds discovered at merge-zones, all sorts of cool nonlinear oscillators, like fractal simulations yet part of the rush-hour patterns. They were all invisible, I was blind to them but then I learned to SEEEEEE.)

[@shions3135]

So, dont break the flow

[@micosstar]

1:16 like sand on a hourglass ahhhhhh

[@Dan-tu1fl]

How am I supposed to tailgate? Its a proven technique for getting everywhere faster.

[@MrDC1001]

In an ideal world. If everyone did this there would be no need to see a brake light on the motorway

[@wbeaty]

Main point is: we only need a few people to do it. If we needed everyone, then one driver couldn't "bust" a jam single-handedly. But one driver can smooth out miles of traffic waves. And while doing this, one driver can accidentally discover the great secret of the professional truckers: a huge empty space can shatter jams as you approach them. It's very bizarre, very counterinuitive.

[@knzay]

this is what i do and then i wind up with some beat-up jallopy going 10mph under the speed limit in front of me.

[@amirsadeghi9888]

he is onto something but not totally correct. He's definitely right about maintaining a steady calm speed in traffic conditions but you cant let everybody cut in front the people behind will get frustrated. Ai infused autonomous driving coupled with smart traffic grids will solve this in a jiffy.

[@obits3]

This doesn’t work because of human nature. How about this? If you really believe in your theory, stay out of the left lane. If everything works as you say, you shouldn’t have any complaints. If you are slowed down more, then your theory is bunk.

[@inyobill]

I do it, I'm not the one slowing traffic, my average speed is the same as yours. You cutting in with inadequate clearance causing panic braking slows traffic a lot more.

[@isaac198428]

I was expecting him to tell us something new he’s discovered that will be implemented by most states countryside and turns out it’s logical solutions that every driver knows about but won’t use them. Disappointed! Lol. If drivers leave a huge gap, like 1 car space between them and the others like we ought to do, two or more other cars will try to jam themselves in that tiny space by merging into the lane. Tell us something new

[@SeanMoore]

You're not seeing the big picture - think globally act locally.

[@michaelmarquis8072]

it is easy! leave more space!

[@Macconator2010]

Yeah, but you're relying on people to be better than what they are.

[@jettrink7510]

Hey I'm suppose to be at the Kitty Kat Club in fifteen minutes to see Angela. Let's clear this traffic congestion.

[@healingv1sion]

Nobody on the highway is doing this tho oh well

[@pureblood369]

I live in Tacoma Washington they gouges for millions of dollars in taxes so they can fix the roads they don't fix the roads and tell they have gigantic holes in them and the freeways are falling apart we had the worst traffic jams ever and then they try to fix everything in the matter of 2 years so traffic jams or everywhere

[@bretmilner255]

People driving too slow in the left lane cause traffic jams...

[@omnia001]

Well if there weren't any traffic jams you wouldn't have a job now would you sir

[@Busaguy]

The reason cars will one day all be controlled by computer's. People tend to drive with emotion instead of logic.

[@joeshmo9719]

Yep, like driving though South Bay in L.A. where a concentration of xenophobic asians live..... emotion over logic times 1000

[@aSASa45454]

Ignoring people cutting in front of you, leaving gaps reduces road capacity. Larger gap -> lower capacity -> lower speeds

[@joeshmo9719]

I agree. Simple logic.

[@ConservativeWatchParty]

This is BS!.. Leaving huge gaps creates more traffic. Think about the cars behind you as you're letting every car cut in front of you. Where does that leave the drivers behind you? Now stuck behind 15 more cars. The law is that you are to keep up with the flow of traffic. If youre leaving gaps, you're not keeping up and it's backing up the highway for every car behind you.

[@cackleback2821]

Tell that to those that rush up at 95mph on the right to try to pass those in the left lane who are already clumped pretty tight cruising along at 80 and then the 95ers swerve over into the fast lane suddenly, often WITHOUT signaling, and cause those in the fast lane who were cruising along nice a smoothly to SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES TO AVOID KILLING THE 95ER ASSHOLE!!! And BAM, the shockwave travels upstream causing REAR-END accidents and GENERAL MISERY.

[@SeanMoore]

Believe it or not these people inadvertently help matters if you leave a gap because they free up the lane for the traffic behind them if they take your gap - just make sure they are not behind you.

[@Tanxmann]

Bollocks!

[@nelliepoo7120]

Drive a car that functions.lol drive with gas in the vehicle..

[@joeshmo9719]

You would think.

[@ecduzitgood]

Gee, apparently he doesn't look at the traffic jam he is causing behind him. This guy and people who think like him cause the traffic .

[@wbeaty]

There isn't one. Look, it's very simple: I'm driving at exactly the same speed as the car ahead. I'm not driving "slow." Also, I'm refusing to become a tailgater. In fact, I'm obeying the FHA fed recommendation: during congestion, we all should maintain large empty gaps, the largest we possibly can (see ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop18013/chap2.htm#sec4 ) In other words, it's tailgating which causes the jams, and jams will evaporate if they're hit with bubbles of "anti-traffic."

[@inyobill]

He's moving with average traffic, he's not slowing the traffic. I do it on the Autobahn, I don't drive over 100 mph, 75-95 regularly. Actually faster than the average,

[@yagi3925]

« A growing body of research suggests individual drivers can have an impact on traffic jams » Ha ha, this is hilarious! Of course individual drivers can have an influence on traffic jams: by refraining from taking their cars. Traffic congestion is not a problem that happens to you, it’s a problem you’re part of.

[@AudioPervert1]

What a horrendous unsustainable system .. bound to collapse... sooner the better.