Why do Traffic Jams Occur out of Nowhere?

Why do traffic jams occur? Ever been in a traffic jam and had no idea why it even happened? Good Stuff producer Sam Grant tells you why.
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References:
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math.mit.edu/p...
helper.ipam.ucl...

[@bambufan3636]

I always knew the cause of traffic jams were all those a-holes in front of me!

[@mr.aleximer]

well u were also in front of someone

[@nolanszeto7099]

well you (or anyone) may also be one of the ah of 100 other drivers

[@Goggalor1990]

@@nolanszeto7099 nope. I drive at least the speed limit. no slowdown here

[@kahbronne7834]

Yes it is I, the a-hole in front of you, in the flesh.

[@danieljohn4014]

including you.

[@Azivegu]

Pro tip: While stuck in a traffic jam, dont just follow the car in front of you. Look at the car in front of the one before you and see its motion to predict when the car in front of you will make changes to it's speed. That way you improve your timing and keep traffic moving more fluidly. Also, try not to come to a complete stop. It's better to just keep driving at 5 m-/kph consistently than to speed up to 15 and then having to brake.

[@FloorItDuh]

Either you drive trucks for a living or you actually know how to drive. I do this myself and it's amazing how you can just keep going if you follow this simple method.

[@Azivegu]

Josh Leviton haha, not a truck driver and currently don't even own a car xD but I know several truckers and try to at least understand why congestion even happens in the first place. Not a perfect driver, but I try to be better

[@isaackarjala7916]

I was doing that in traffic jam where we where limited to one lane. Dude behind me was getting annoyed and trying to rush me. I leaned my chair back and stuck my feet out the window.

[@Wok_Agenda]

I try to do this but since those f suvs became an accessory it is difficult to see

[@DashCamSerbia]

99.9% of "drivers" don't understand this! >:(

[@lifevest1]

We need to revise driving tests. We need to teach people how to zipper merge properly and use all lanes in backups. We also need drivers tests to be retaken every 5 years to ensure said driver is still capable.

[@kentaegreene7926]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6quhnWEYs18iK8

[@eddy-nd7nh]

5 years is too soon f off

[@schwaner1000]

No

[@Jer19Jr]

And every 2 years past age 70

[@skittlescopes4832]

Lol. Don’t even need that. Just make the tests harder… The tests in USA are so ridiculously easy

[@winonadaphne6445]

wait why is watching the cars stop and go again so funny it's like watching a group of ducks waddle, pause for no reason, and waddle off again

[@joebloe4461]

I realized this in middle school gym class, when we would all run around the gym in a big circle. The areas with greater density moved slower because people slowed down to avoid collisions, and this caused a chain reaction.

[@phynx2006]

I work for an Transportation Engineering Firm in Ontario, Canada and that was very well explained Sam, excellent job.

[@YouFoundMiyes]

Hello, my name is Michael Eke. I'm currently a student of geography and environmental management; if you don't mind, I love to discuss something important with you, kindly get back to me here or through my email address; [e-mail]. Thank you.

[@LoveMashina93]

I have had many jobs that require long distance travel, including driving a semi. I'd like to add on to what you're saying in the video. Traffic isn't always human error, it's human impatience and selfishness. "Rush Hour" for example. I tried to keep this short and sweet. I've thought about this quite a bit. I've listed a few things I believe cause around 90% of "Traffic". The truth is if we kept space, pace and drove smoother we'd all get home safer, and faster. What causes Phantom Jams: Human Psychology 1. Tailgating. Often done to prevent people from getting in front of them, and to intimidate people to speed up. Causes people to over-brake out of fear of hitting the vehicle 3 feet in front of them every time they see brake lights resulting in chain reactions. Also, overaccelerating during stop-go traffic which then results in over-braking again. 2. Lane Weaving. Often done to somehow win an imaginary race. Causes yourself or those you cut off to over-brake resulting in chain reactions. Rules of the Road: Preventing Traffic Jams and Accidents. 1. Change lanes as early and as effortlessly as you can. Find adequate space to prevent person you're cutting in front of from having to slow down to create safe space. Only change lanes when necessary. 2. Create adequate space for steady braking and those needing to change lanes. 3. Keep as steady a pace as you're safely able. No sudden braking or overaccelerating that will result in having to suddenly brake. TL;DR Respect each other's space, keep a steady pace, change lanes early and signal. (3 Blinks+) Speeding/Weaving doesn't save anywhere near as much time as you think.

[@BarryMikokinju]

You appear to understand Wholly agree with all of it

[@Levi-pn4uy]

Trucker myself. Totally agree. One thing I've noticed though is that when I signal a lane change, the traffic in the lane I want to move to floors it to get ahead of me before I move. Ends with me not being able to change lanes a lot of the time. I still signal of course, it's just very frustrating.

[@rallypacific]

Simply slowing without actually braking can really help. As soon as that brake light comes on that shockwave will start.

[@TRYtoHELPyou]

What's crazy... You leave a bit of a gap (large or small) so you can smooth out your own slowing and speeding to then smooth it out overall .... and people behind you want you to fill in the gap and ride the bumper of the person in front of you after passing you. That overhead footage was great! This makes me feel better about the way I drive...

[@RustOnWheels]

TRY to HELP you Yup. Two seconds distance makes driving smoother and safer. And then the dick with a BMW, Mercedes or Audi passes you by, tailgating the car in front of you and you have to get off the gas for the safe distance again, only to see another dick race in front. And if enough tailgating dicks are in front of you, tailgating each other, one will inevitably do something that will make them all brake very hard, slowing everything down. So much for your courteous traffic preventing driving…

[@satan4518]

@@RustOnWheels you just have to not exaggerate with the gap in front of you. Some of y’all motherfuckers will leave 2 miles of space in front of you and go 10 miles below speed limit. People got places to be, I always merge right if I’m going to be cruising.

[@waynehearst317]

how does this video not have millions of views? I know at least 100 million people have seriously lamented about this.

[@phishENchimps]

While driving through Vermont, I did encounter a few traffic jams, but they were a bit different. people didn't fight for each spot and the whole flow slowly moved. people also gave more space between each other, and with out someone racing up alongside, people respected it.

[@mikegillihan4546]

The 3 second rule works great for following distance. It works well at all speeds. Sadly it is mostly unknown on California freeways.

[@M4B3THinSPACE]

They should re-do that circle car test again with driveless cars to see if a jam occurs

[@squidgrill]

M4B3THinSPACE It probably won’t, even if they aren’t coordinated with eachother if they were programmed to stay in the middle nothing should happen

[@jaquelinealmazan1810]

@@squidgrill everything works in its theoretical form

[@JeremyBX]

I had a feelling that traffic was started by some guy cutting some other guy off 14 minutes ago, but that equation you showed us was insane, and now I have another reason for why they teach us so much seemingly absurd math concepts in college.

[@wbeaty]

When traffic becomes "unstable," then even your own engine-variations will trigger a huge jam. It's not humans who do it. Instead, it's "supersaturation," plus a tiny bit of "noise" to act like a "seed." But yes, large noise from humans suddenly hitting the gas pedal, that will trigger the jam much earlier than otherwise.

[@gnetkuji]

I mean, trains work pretty good and they're already automated enough by virtue of having an exact set route to travel that they're very often on time in most places that use them.

[@outhere8690]

gnet kuji - exactly!

[@micosstar]

concur with @gnetkuji!@@outhere8690

[@SpectralightPhoto]

My favorite bumper sticker reads, "If I'm passing you on your right... you're an IDIOT!"

[@superWTF64lol]

*FOLLOWING* *DISTANCE* *IS* *VERY* *UNDERRATED* Nobody cares about it, but the best way to go is to match the speed of the vehicle in front of you at a safe distance. ALWAYS USE IT, it's safe, it helps traffic, isn't tailgating, and is always a great rule of thumb. Although you can't prevent traffic jams, it always makes traffic flow smoothly until one happens. It all comes down to the person at the front of traffic, where vehicles come into clumps from yellow light transitions. That person usually has a tendency to go faster, since he doesn't need to worry about vehicles being in front of him. Next, the people behind him follow suit, and soon the entire line of traffic moves faster. Just as long as the line of traffic can settle on a speed, everything goes so much faster, it's just when one person slows down that ruins the entire thing, which is most commonly not using the deceleration lane, or large vehicles like semi trucks

[@MusiCaninesTheMusicalDogs]

It's been eleven years without a car for me, which means I almost forgot what traffic jams are. I use a bike most of the time.

[@donkraus1991]

We do not own any cars. We have bicycles, take the bus, use the metro and our monthly expense for all of this is 70.00 / month for both of us, so 840.00 / yr. No tires,gas, insurance,and happier

[@jaimie00]

Bring on those driverless cars! No more need to own your own (but you could if you wanted), fewer accidents, fewer traffic jams, less overall time spent commuting...I want that future.

[@Hugh.Manatee]

Bring on our robot overlords please!

[@FloorItDuh]

Driving is a privilege not a right. If we actually made licensing requirements and testing that actually required you to study and have actual skill we would have a lot less problems but in the states we all but hand people a license and they are ill prepared to drive as a result and either develop bad habits that stick with them or just don't immediately have the knowledge necessary right off the bat to know how to drive properly and thus it effects everyone else on the road.

[@beatersho3497]

No! I love driving! Driverless cars sounds terrible!

[@matthewmann8951]

Jaimes I love driving my classic cars, working on them the satisfaction brings me great joy, I am also aware that some people wish to not drive, every one should be able to do as 1 choses to do. I see driving as a privelage others see it as burdensome. Don't push driverless cars on me I won't push driven vehicles on any one as well. And we'll all be just so happy, Anyhoo happy motoring how ever you choose and I'll see you around the block. Thanks for sharing later my brother. Peace

[@davidjenson1570]

I think it's called rubbernecking where someone starts looking at what the person in the car next to them is doing, and then everyone else is curious as to what that guy is looking at, and before you know it, everything is slowed down to ten miles an hour. Yes, that's probably right. It's all about us silly humans. :)

[@WetDoggo]

It's mostly unattended people who suddenly get frightened from the speed or people in front of them braking a bit, the unattended people are breaking faster and harder... More of those people behind them cause more breaking

[@averyellis]

1:05 “if we were all machines” a great case for automated driving, I say.

[@cheyennenguyen9771]

thank you for simplifying the reason why instead of getting too technical

[@MRozzaqYusaliano]

*mandatory CGP Grey reference*

[@MRozzaqYusaliano]

adolf hitler mandatory comment that mentioned your name and your deeds and connects them with the video

[@averyellis]

I started noticing this when I was driving a lot in my 20s in the 90s. I’ve always kicked myself for not realizing this could have been an emerging market, but not like they offered courses in this back then. Mysterious slowdowns still fascinate me because they are like an echo of something that happened even hours ago.

[@omarhern84]

I like the car at 2:35 that bypasses all the traffic via the side route. We all see him, and we’re all made because we didn’t do it.

[@cmuller1441]

The wave of cars breaking is not fading away because as it propagates drivers are breaking harder and harder until finally one completely stops. Solution: maintain a safe distance and try to keep it equal to the distance to the car following you. When someone breaks, try to react fast but gently (ideally by breaking less than the car before you but avoid bumping it...). Also avoid changing lanes because it creates a seed for the breaking wave.

[@FloorItDuh]

Simple solution, don't be an RJW (road justice warrior as I call them). You're not a cop. don't camp the left lane if you aren't passing or speeding and if someone wants to go faster than you just let them be on their way. It's not your problem. Another thing is don't be a dick in general. If someone wants to get over let them over. On top of that if you know you're getting off prepare well in advance so you aren't swapping lanes at the last minute. This will cut down on phantom jams especially during commutes where there is no accidents. I was stationed in Germany for 2 years and people commonly followed these similar rules as well as the zipper method and traffic jams outside of accidents on the autobahn were rare. Literally on my commute people slow down unnecessarily for turns and as a result it causes phantom traffic jams that last for an hour for no reason.

[@SuperVstech]

Josh Leviton ... yup. Here in NC, a law was shot down to make it illegal to hog the left lane... The gist of the rejection was, punishing law abiding drivers traveling the correct speed in the passing lane should not be the officers goal... Stupid. The goal of the officers should be to prevent accidents. And shitty drivers camping in the passing lane causes hot headed drivers to rapidly change lanes, and drive even shittier...

[@Quintinohthree]

Josh Leviton A nice game to play with middle lane hoggers on 3-or-more-lane roads: overtake on their left, move over two lanes to the right (making sure to indicate before and during each lane change and to stay in front of them for a little while before the second land change), then slow down and have them overtake you. If you're lucky, they'll get the message and move over to the right lane. If not, repeat untill they do or you figure you've got better things to do with your time. Anyway, lane discipline and driving at a constant speed preferably one that many others on the same stretch of road have adopted are no doubt the best ways to prevent traffic jams. On my way to and from work I'll often find rows of cars bumper to bumper in the left lane (2-lane highway) going a bit less than the 120k speed limit and occasionally overtaking a truck doing their electronically limited 80k in the right lane or some other car doing maybe 100k. Meanwhile I try to also do 120k taking advantage of my adjustable speed limiter (essentially cruise control except with a maximum rather than a minimum speed) to keep my speed as constant as possible and I'll be switching lanes to stay in the right lane unless I'm overtaking a slower vehicle. All this time I think of how dangerous staying in the left lane can be when a car in front of such a line suddenly brakes and everyone behind them barely has time to respond, but then I think to myself of all that space ahead of me that keeps me safe.

[@notsoperfectlyme7276]

I stay in the left lane when driving through down town to avoid all the mix master business.....people taking 3 lanes at a time in the last possible second, people merging on/ off, etc....(that, and my exit is a left exit) If some jackass wants to ride my butt I will make a change IF and ONLY IF I can do so safely. Otherwise, they are going to have to simmer till it is possible. I am not going to wreck my car because someone else wants to drive like a fool, especially when I am already going well over the speed limit. The fool that whips around 70mph traffic doing 90 has only him/herself to blame when s/he eventually crashes.

[@BlueScapegoat]

In heavily congested city traffic where the left lane is clogged anyway, like what it sounds like you're describing, this makes sense. There's this grey inbetween where Josh is talking about where people hold up traffic for no reason. If there's nobody in front of you, and people behind you, you're in the wrong lane.

[@ZechsMerquise73]

About phantom jams, people need to be ready before the car in front of them begins to accelerate. I see so many drivers act as if a stopped or slowed car in front of them is a stop sign. They wait until there's a whole car length or more in front before they begin to drive again. It really annoys me when I leave someone like that in the dust and then suddenly they're right behind me again because having a terrible reaction time isn't enough, they have to speed too.

[@SlashinatorZ]

Just got out of a Houston category 5 traffic jam near the NRG center. I was driving back home from a different event.

[@Malconten]

A "poorly time lane change" AKA - a dick move. I've seen this about everytime I go for a drive, and that's not only on highways.

[@ripwolfe]

It's worse than just human error that causes these jams; it's bad habits and outright inattention to the rest of the highway. Folks who don't accelerate going up an hill to keep highway speeds, or people who simply pace each other. At least once a day, on a mostly empty freeway, I'll see someone just randomly tap their brakes to some phantom menace despite no other car being ahead or behind them -- do that on slightly more congested roads and watch the traffic build up.

[@boomstick900]

I suspect that a fair few of those people who tap the brakes for seemingly no reason, are actually driving with their left foot hovering over the brake pedal at all times. That was my younger sister's first instinct, she thought the left pedal was for her left foot, and the right pedal for her right foot.

[@Quintinohthree]

boomstick900 Should have started her on a manual car. She wouldn't have thought that when confronted with three pedals. To be fair, not all cars have a dead pedal to rest the left foot on.

[@MusiCaninesTheMusicalDogs]

Adam Kecskes Yup. The problem is always the others. Always.

[@JeroenTrappers]

Humans will never have adequate responses. There's always some jerk on the road causing these kinds of shockwave jams. In the Netherlands there is an app that will reward you to "regulate" traffic dynamically, trying to compensate for too much traffic.

[@Quintinohthree]

Jeroen Trappers I've never heard of this app. What's it called?

[@wakcedout]

The roads you show…..ohhhh how those stretches are my bane and sooo damn many people on them are usually in their damn phone paying zero attention, or jumping ahead to get the one car length when everything’s a clusterfuck. It’s usually when I’m trying to get out of that area when I deal with the worst of that…..to say it aggravates me would be an understatement lol.

[@timholstpetersen79]

I've long had a suspicion that unnecessary braking (turning on the brake light) will cause jams. The guyy in fron of you brakes (instead of just lifting his foot off of the speeder), you brake because you think there is an obstrction in front of him, the guy behind you does the same, and so on... and I suspect this will only get a lot worse, with modern electric cars, that turn on the brake light without you touching the brake pedal.

[@IM-qy7mf]

It's always the other person's fault, isn't it? Unless you're following too close, you wouldn't need to brake hard, if at all. And if you brake hard, then the person in front of you likely slammed their brakes *for a good reason* . In addition to all that is mentioned in this video, teaching people to have a basic level of trust and respect in their fellow driver's abilities would also do a ton of good for the collective. What you see as "unnecessary" was necessary enough for that driver.

[@inyobill]

Why do people wait leaving a stop light to allow 2-3 times the space in front of them than they will typically allow when moving at 120 kmh?

[@OneUpdateataTime]

I've never been more prepared for driverless cars

[@TheSmokekoke]

I think soon there will be enough self driving cars for my idea to work. What if not necessary all cars will be without a driver but instead whenever a bunch of cars are in a jam they enter a synch mode so they will automated only in the given instance

[@Westcoastmickey]

you forgot the most important rule staying to the right lane unless you are passing someone

[@air1fire]

This is beautiful in a way.

[@jasonvengroff1396]

Ya not sure how I got here ... But Ya great Video this deserves a lot more hits ... it's genius!!!!! Peace

[@KevinDurette]

Our driver education is always, "Slow down. Slow down." Now we wonder why everyone hovers over their brake pedal, always ready to grossly overreact instead of judging and estimating. People also don't know how to drive in compromised traction conditions because they think the brake pedal is the "safe" pedal when a little smooth steering was all it would have taken to keep them out of the guardrail.

[@mrmacross]

You give humanity too much credit. It's often not the result of innocent mistakes, but rather some dude decided to speed up, cut into your lane, and then hit the brakes. Yeah, said guy probably didn't intend on causing a chain reaction traffic jam, but he tried to save himself as much time as possible and didn't care for the ramifications. And there are a lot of those guys on the road. In other words, traffic jams are often empirical examples of the prisoner's dilemma.

[@morningcoffee3121]

here's a simpler solution...BETTER MASS TRANSPORTATION!!! although self-driving cars sounds great, the problem comes from the human driver AND the number of cars in general. With human drivers naturally shockwave traffic will occur and placing robots to drive will pose the same number of problems it should be fixing. Better mass transportation on the other hand would seem to be a better option as it puts a high density of commuters in the same place which means less low density cars on the road and wether the vehicle is human operated or self-driving this will solve the two problems. But that's just my opinion, I live in the Philippines and the traffic here is terrible...from what I have observe without better mass transportation people will buy cars for their own convenience adding more cars to cause traffic and the public utility vehicles (jeepneys, the equivalent of city buses but worst) here are bad or more specifically the drivers as they make sharp turns from the middle of the road to the side to unload the passengers this causes a shockwave traffic immediately esspecially when there's a lot of cars behind.

[@contrarianduude3463]

I've lived in some pretty big cities that had mass transits systems. The buses, trolleys and trains were virtually empty. Most people just want their own little travel bubble(car). L.A. is a prime example of this. Instead they just keep building more roads. Traffic would be going along at 20 MPH and i would zip past a bus with 8 people on it(I was on a motorcycle).

[@mikemicalroman]

I like how the only solution proposed to fix ths was jokingly "Robot cars". As if public transportation hasn't been proven to be better at getting people to their destinations faster and safer. I live in Houston, one of the worst cities in comuter time. I wish we had trains

[@BlueScapegoat]

People that hit the brakes for no reason. Just coast. When you hit the brakes for no reason, the guy behind you hits the brakes because he thinks you're stopping. It turns off your cruise control because it has to. Use the cancel button if you need to slow down and you're not braking. I daily drive a tall vehicle and I see the chain of idiots braking for no reason in front of me and I just gradually slow down to try to absorb their effect on the 500 drivers behind me. Even when I drive one of my lower cars I leave a bit of extra gap and coast for a bit before braking because 90% of the time the guy in front of me is just stabbing the pedal out of fear

[@jenni1948]

I’m in the middle of traffic… always had this question on my mind when i was little… today I search it up… i learned something new. Keep in mind… I’m 20 😂

[@robd1859]

Because idiots will create an accident and then decide they're going to just stop right in the middle of the damn interstate rather than pulling to the side of the road. This ladies and gentlemen is what creates the traffic jam but you can't fix stupid

[@Gk2003m]

2:18: it’s not ‘theory’. It’s HYPOTHESIS. All those equations and whatnot were valid attempts to come to terms with the problem of traffic, but they were not theories. It’s maddening to watch who set themselves up as ‘authorities’ utterly fail to grasp the enormous gulf between a theory and a hypothesis.

[@blackkittycat15]

So many people call engineers smart, but every one I met relies too much on math instead of observation. Then again my solution would be public transit, I went to Japan and loved how easy it was to get anywhere. The Tokyo subway was great, and for traveling further trains and buses go to most towns.

[@kfrank73]

I mean, this video is like so seriously good!

[@PricillaPrincess]

Watching this in traffic right now! What should’ve been a 10 minute drive became a 50 minute drive real quick.

[@busyrand]

Beautiful City... Very informative video!

[@TiesOfZip]

It may new a relatively new idea to the people paid by the government to learn these things, but to anyone that actually pays attention while on their commute, this shit has been obvious for decades. All it takes is one idiot to overreact and stab the brakes and one more idiot to be too close and the cycle just perpetuates. Thanks captains obvious.

[@KevinDurette]

and then after stabbing their brakes, they'll put on a temper tantrum by not accelerating again just a show everyone either how angry they are or how safe they are, as if it doesn't count unless somebody sees you braking

[@acela12]

Also big part of traffic is drivers not knowing rules of the road. Left lane is for passing. Every morning I consistently will have to pass cars on the right because they just sit in the left lane (20-30 cars in less than 20 mile stretch). Also people don't realize that lifting off the accelerator pedal will slow you down and constantly brake tap leaving the people behind to have to guess how hard they have to stop.

[@MrGettinlate]

Left lane for passing works great in remote areas/small towns/light traffic areas, but in metro areas where there are 4-6 lanes in both directions and all of those lanes are saturated with vehicles, well. . .

[@nikkiabasargin9337]

Watching this during traffic jam

[@1anya7d]

I love his humor

[@ZGamingGuy]

I blame the ass hats that just HAVE to wait till the last second to get off the exit lane, and force everyone behind to stop. Is it really so hard to just go the God damn speed limit

[@Track1productions]

So the reason is exactly what I thought it was bad driving

[@inyobill]

By all appearances, people will not learn to drive, robot traffic, if it's affordable (there will be savings - fewer accidents for one) will be the only answer. I'll hate it, I love to drive, but I'll probably be dead, anyway.

[@lejonsewell2755]

So why do they happen at the same times in the same area day after day!?

[@michaelbustillo-sakhai5163]

A train of driverless cars sounds like the perfect solution / s.

[@bugattiveyron2923]

0:03 - Hey Vsauce, Michael here.

[@chrisst8922]

It's gotta be because of all the speed limits. No wonder there's queues when everybody can't put their foot down.

[@jameseldridge3445]

It’s literally one slow person who clogs it. If everyone had a sense of urgency they would never happen.

[@aknightthatsaysnee5259]

Imagine being a teenager when all there is are driverless cars?! LOL

[@butchpam]

Funny. Liked and subscribed too fellow vloggers

[@teriscallon]

this makes a ton of sense

[@gNatflaps]

The best way to get rid of traffic is to get more people off the road, and the way to do that is to expand the US rail network. While traffic exists in other countries, it's nowhere near to the extent of traffic in the US. Our population is so dependent on a road structure that cannot support the capacity of drivers we have, all because GM systematically destroyed every major public transit system and rail company in the country.

[@icanhaskpop1239]

Okay, but many people can be taught to be BETTER drivers. It's not only a matter of just being human, a LOT of people just SUCK at driving, period. Improper braking, taking too long to accelerate, not using turn signals, tailgating, distracted by their PHONES, etc. These are the traits of idiots who just don't care or don't KNOW how to properly drive, but were given a license because they JUST BARELY passed the exams. (They may have been taught by their parents, who were already idiot drivers, so the idiocy gets handed down.) And let's not get started on the number of people who have had their licenses suspended for one reason or another (probably because they're idiots and suck at driving) but continue to drive.

[@creeib]

You are NOT stuck in traffic. You are the traffic

[@jaredwblack]

I'll bet the traffic is one thing Craig doesn't miss about Chicago!

[@donkraus1991]

Mass transit ! Just wait til the subsidies on gas go away.Yeah, $7-8 / gal. Less cars, bike more, bus more, train more!

[@jons2447]

Hello, all; Traffic 'jams' are caused by people that refuse to obey [read 'submit to' traffic laws. This video got the main point, people cause traffic & jams, but it missed the part about 'how'; It's because some people feel compelled to drive too fast, some others are compelled to drive too slow, & the result is a traffic jam. This is also the main cause of accidents, too. So, just think of all the time we could save, & the lives & the money, if all these idiots would just DO THE RIGHT THING! Driving is a 'privilege', so each of us *should* do it properly. Unfortunately, far too many of us think the 'rules don't apply' to me. So as long as people refuse to oey the law & follow the rules, expect more of the same. PREDICTION: When people get bad enough there will be even worse jams & some will respond w/ violence. Look out for it. Have a GREAT day, Neighbors!

[@ilovechocolate70]

Great channel :)

[@TheRealHypervizor]

just need people to give each other like 3 car lengths and no last second merging.

[@thefierydemon9364]

so basically traffic jams happens from people just being ignorant.

[@MrAdriansoto21]

Haha "Host, Traffic Enthusiast."

[@bonniegaither3994]

It’s like Christmas lights one person slows down they all slow down.

[@77soundwave77]

In my country, from my observation it's always the bad lane changes that screws up the entire flow and cause jams. These shitty drivers would go from the furthest left lane to furthest right lane for their exit (in a 4 lane highway). What I think they should improve is their trip planning. If you wanna go to City A for example and you know the highway exit for it is 2km away on the left, you should've stayed on the left lane while the traffic was still smooth and not do a last minute change and fuck up the entire flow of the road.

[@satan4518]

Exactly lmfao. Pisses me off when people don’t know where the fuck they’re going like nearly the entire world has a computer at their damn fingertips to tell you when your exit is. It’s not that hard lol

[@delcat8168]

Because people follow too close, then brake instead of just lifting off the accelerator to maintain distance.

[@crystlejenson4003]

Everyone at weddings tapped on my shoulder saying you're next so I started doing it at funerals

[@timholstpetersen79]

Also... there are few things more annoying that the car in front of you touching that damned brake pedal all the bloody time, when just lifting the foot off the speeder would've slowed his vehicle more than sufficiently. It actually pisses me off.

[@kevinmcdonald5316]

Who else is watching this while in a traffic jam?

[@timsalman8358]

Kevin Mcdonald I know I am😂😂

[@isolinear9836]

Oi. If driver-less cars do get off the ground, expect MORE traffic jams...and traffic deaths. Machine adaptability is simply not as dynamic as human decision-making. The results of some of our tests has convinced me that there will NEVER be a driver-less future. There are utilities for something akin to "auto-pilot" in planes, but like planes, there will ALWAYS be someone (and often more than "one") at the controls watching every second while the flight plan is carried out (which "defeats" the purpose of the purported "driver-less" dream).

[@Lilhellboy2003]

Like just keep driving. If there’s an accident, don’t do it. Most people in Boston do and drive five very slowly and look at the details just fucking drive.

[@donkraus1991]

Roundabouts. Lose the traffic lights! I am not impressed to see 1 person in a car that holds up to 5. Get a grip ,call friends and neighbors to set up rides.

[@privettoli]

I noticed that speeding creates traffic jams because people do not limit how much over speed limit to go, so one would go +5, another +10, another +15. Bam! You have a traffic jam. Also I noticed that if I go within the speed limit, I rarely ever happen to be stuck in a jam. DFW area, Texas

[@SuperDaveguitar]

Would you explain how speeding causes a traffic jam?

[@privettoli]

@@SuperDaveguitar now I don't claim I'm an expert who understands how this works in theory, I just report my observations. The way how I see it, when people go a lot over the limit on a fast road that merges into a slower road (less safe or speed limit is different), instead of the vehicles being distributed proportionally similarly how they entered the highway, because they all exceeded the legal speed and caught each other, they end up driving together, like a traffic snake.

[@SuperDaveguitar]

@@privettoli Ah, yes... the inconsistent speed causes bunching of the cars and increased braking. Thank you for explaining. I think that concept of inconsistent speed causing bunching is pretty well established.

[@kylerkiesecker4166]

the Japanese experiment looks bogus to me. we don't drive in small circles where you would circle around and find yourself at the tail end of the jam that was cause by the car behind you originally.

[@eggy7346]

There's just a general gross lack of focus from a lot of drivers at least from what I've seen. The flow of traffic will be moving at a solid 80mph with no problems and then some SUV Karen will try to merge at 55mph to a 70mph highway despite the 100ft merge lane which grants more than enough time to speed up. This new road hazard should be easy to avoid: Just move to the second lane to avoid the dipshit right? Well, not always... There will be other distracted drivers that will brake in a panic causing a chain reaction leading to an inevitable jam unless people get their shit together quick enough which almost never happens

[@nhanha7433]

And accident frequently while moving same directions

[@ottotater2787]

traffic jams occur because people follow to closely and then rather than letting off their gas when they're approaching the car ahead of them, they use their brakes, which causes the person behind them to do the same thing traffic jams happened because people fall into closely and people don't know how to responsable mter the throttle. am I driving classes I had more than one instructor say never hit your brakes unless you're going to reduce speed by at least 10 Mi an hour or stop your car completely but using your brakes to adjust your speed is the cause of huge amounts of Danger on the roadway. another problem is improper lane usage follow the laws in each and every state and driving the right most land except while passing. It IS the law in YOUR state if you live in the US.

[@cupfulofeathers]

Great video! I was wondering this recently, so thanks for anticipating my needs! :P

[@Goggalor1990]

it's because of 1 or 2 slow ass drivers

[@Young_Dab]

Exactly! I've seen 2 cars on a 2 lane highway remain side by side with one another causing build up behind them. They were doing the speed limit which is legal but there's signs on the road that says "slower traffic keep right" meaning faster traffic is allowed in the left lane but those 2 idiots didn't gaf. Really grinds my gears

[@jameseldridge3445]

Thank u

[@SaveaJo]

How hard is it to leave at least 2 car lengths in front of you.

[@ZYKIOUS]

Currently in one as we sit

[@donvoll2580]

Watch at red light with about 10 cars ahead of u , when light turns green everyone should being going, not 1 at a time. Thanks

[@infinitworld7106]

Well that's one more big reasons why to support autonomous vehicles

[@redscorpion9411]

Maybe a deer crossed the highway, causing someone to FLOOR that brake pedal!

[@Peter-xo6bn]

This is actually a stupid question with a simple answer because their are to many cars on the road and it will get much worse every single year.

[@cameo64]

About the super complicated equation, its the continuity equation of fluids and its super easy compared to the other equations. Check out the linear momentum equation or friction factor equation for turbulent flow.