Why It's Nearly Impossible to Get Rid of Traffic

The average human will spend 1-3 years in traffic over the duration of their life. That's crazy! There's got to be an easy fix to the traffic issue-just add more roads, right? Turns out that this is a major problem studied by physicists and psychologists alike, with no easy answers. Join Hank Green and find out why improving traffic is such a difficult task in this new episode of SciShow!
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Sources:
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papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.c...
www.vtpi.org/gentraf.pdf
www.theguardian.com/environme...
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• The Simple Solution to...
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Media:
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commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

[@YaeBocchi]

*leaves space in front* Other lane drivers: It's free real estate.

[@jasonrafael5945]

Len Frantora I've found that this doesn't slow me down in any way. Either I'm in the faster flowing lane anyway, and I'm still driving faster than the other lanes. Or I'm in the slower lane. And then they continue on to another lane.

[@XxFreako64xX]

I just can't stand it when you try to keep that space in between you and other cars and those drivers think "oh I'm just gonna squeeze in here" and it's like no...I wanted some safe space punk. I wish everyone could watch this video.

[@wdmckee]

@@XxFreako64xX it's actually leaving that space that causes rubbernecking. When you back off the car in front of you, everyone behind you compresses.

[@XxFreako64xX]

@@wdmckee I thought Hank had said it would be best to allow space between cars because if you're too close- front or back of the car- if you brake, so does everyone else. Which causes that wave effect and a higher chance of getting hit. Plus makes everyone slow down. So when people who dont feel like waiting like everyone else (especially on construction roads) will wait till the last second to cut in line causing everyone to brake rather than slowly merging and keeping traffic flowing. Thoughts?

[@XxFreako64xX]

@@wdmckee And I dont mean backing off the car, before the traffic jam starts I like space in between me and the car as well as behind me- though I cant control that part- but if someone brakes I front of me- I wouldn't have to. When someone cuts in front of me-well then, I'm gonna brake. Causing a ripple effect. Just my thought on it though. :)

[@johnbagel2560]

We need everyone to watch this video.

[@NightDoge]

so they can ignore it and immideatly revert back to their inefficient way of driving! honestly for me, if i was king, i would ban 90% of cars, and put all that infrastructure money on public transportations, bike lanes, and pedestrian lanes. (I just really hate cars and i hate driving.)

[@Lenny3214Productions]

But what if I hate public transpo tho?

[@NightDoge]

Then u will ride a bike and u will like it! (Should've mentioned that u can use a motor scooter if u want.)

[@zeke1220]

-Rainbow Bubbles- for President 2020

[@tankusfred]

So this video needs more traffic then? =P

[@ovDarkness]

Thank you for using roadsign from my city :) It's actually now a law in Poland to use zipper merging whenever applicable. If you don't, you get fined. :D

[@chubbyadler3276]

The only problem is here in the States, it's a guaranteed way to create a plug.

[@jpgonz.9481]

They used a picture of traffic jams from my city :D I wish that was a law here.

[@RaynosFAA777]

I remember when I used to live in Melbourne. I started work at 7. If I left at 6 I would get there just about right on 7, but if I left at 5:50 I would get there at 6:20.

[@0MoTheG]

That is part of the solution, but even a bit fewer cars in some area would increase overall capacity and that again would allow more cars.

[@benbaker405]

I can sooooo relate to that when i was at RMIT . im from country and i found it so strange

[@julianschwertzthewoodlands4161]

Same in Houston

[@sa5er1234]

Yup, same in Dubai. One minute makes a huge difference in traffic.

[@jeffareh]

I don't mind traffic. But I do mind sitting at a red light for 2 minutes while literally nobody on the road perpendicular to me goes through the intersection. That's annoying. Traffic lights need to have a more adaptive schedule and switch to flashing yellows/reds more often. A lot of cities do a good job with this, but others are absolutely terrible.

[@talltroll7092]

I'd like to bet that this is one of those counter intuitive cases where doing what seems reasonable actually makes things worse. To really make traffic lights work better, you'd need to have them controlled by a computer capable of solving what amounts to an np complete problem on the fly...

[@GRBtutorials]

Tall Troll Why would you need to solve a problem without a P-complete solution? Just use a simple algorithm: is there any car/person waiting to cross? If the answer is yes, put that traffic light green and the others red and wait until it crosses the street, then do the opposite. This is the solution for low-traffic areas in certain directions, which are abundant where I live and they’re really annoying and useless (and apparently where the OC, original commenter, lives)

[@mikehancock9887]

Roundabouts. Assuming the people where you live are bright enough to be able to figure them out. We put some in where I live, and if you read the signs and have a basic understanding of road use, they're intuitive and easy to use. And far faster than traffic lights. Of course, that's a perfect-world solution. Too many people get behind the wheel and turn into a drooling window-licker moron that coulnd't tell a clutch pedal from a seat heater. (Just not the UK roundabouts....I've heard stories about those ones...but the ones I use here are 2 lanes and simple :D)

[@GRBtutorials]

Yeah, here in Spain we have lots of roundabouts, but we also have some intersections with lots of useless traffic lights. The problem is that some traffic lights are there and I've never, ever seen somebody cross the street or someone come from either side.

[@empressmarowynn]

Roundabouts are the most amazing thing. They keep traffic moving so nicely. But of course we Americans are really good at making them terrible. There was one in my small town where I grew up that was actually designed by George Washington. It worked really well until some dumbass decided to put stop signs at 3 of the 4 entrances thus making it redundant. I have no clue why, there were maybe only 15 cars every hour going through it. Why do we always have to ruin nice things?

[@josephjackson1956]

This video needs to be mandatory for anyone who gets a driving license

[@3rdeyeshine94]

What about the people who are already on the road and are idiots?

[@jj.jaypeg]

@@3rdeyeshine94 Eventually they will die. The new generation that would learn this will grow older and teach the generations to come. The drivers who didn't know that in the past will no longer be around resulting in a drastic change in driving behaviors. It would just take a lifetime or two.

[@leptoon]

This video should already be common sense for anyone who has ever been behind the wheel. But common sense isn't very common.

[@OVXX666]

no the solution is driver-less cars

[@chubbyadler3276]

It would also help if the concepts presented here are enforced as law.

[@Watashinomori]

I used to be a little aggressive when driving, but my city filled the roads with radars. I decided to be way less aggressive until I memorize all the places there was the pesky little things. During this time I noticed I was commuting faster. Driving under the speed limit actually made me brake less and by that being more efficient.

[@dannne88]

I've played cities: skyline, I know it's hard to build good roads.

[@eamartig]

Yes! The best strategy is ahem: TRAINS

[@LuxicCardinal]

same

[@jekblom123]

its good to build hard roads.

[@pavantalluri]

Combo of trams and buses works till a huge city for me

[@ancientswordrage]

How accurate is it?

[@ksub91]

Patience should be tested in the driver licence test.

[@3nertia]

THIS!!!

[@SamuraiJACsr]

It already is... Its called "parallel parking". Lol!

[@malijames12]

I think anyone would just put their best foot forward.

[@3rdeyeshine94]

There's a mandatory 4 hours to take the test or else you can't leave the room.. if you do to retake the test you have to wait 4 more months and if you try to come back within those 4 months you have to wait a year and you only get three chances to take your test and if you fail are three you get three strikes and your out, as in you go to prison for 25 to life.

[@therasilvi]

That's what the DMV is for.

[@dogwaffles]

So many people in the comments seem to think someone merging into your lane in front of you requires you to brake. They must already be going your speed or faster to do that. Just let off the gas and regain your distance.

[@MikeTrieu]

dogwaffles The thing that miffs me is when they merge into your lane at a speed much faster than either you or the car in front of you, then slams on the brakes for way longer than is necessary, thus forcing you to also brake. This happens way more than I care for on my daily commute.

[@SyukriLajin]

there are also people that hits the brake each time a car changes position infront of them regardless if it involves them or not. and then there's those that doesn't want to give way when people tries to merge into the slower lane, causing them to get stuck in between.

[@aluisious]

People are stupid, which is why they don't realize no gas = slow down. Or maybe they have magic cars that violate physics, in which case, I wish I had that car too.

[@fabian1939]

Except, sometimes they merge so close to you, that you want to regain your distance as soon as possible.

[@jesusfreak777ize]

I drive an hour to work every day, and doing that much driving, I figured all this stuff out by observing. It's cool to get validation that they're legit concepts. I always see aggressive drivers who weave around the highway, but they always only end up a car length or two in front of me.

[@sa5er1234]

Indeed, same here.

[@Maniac3020]

*Begins to slow down when light turns red* *Watches other drivers go around and accelerate towards red light* *Stops behind car/s that passed* repeat

[@leptoon]

Hey now, some people really need to get to the office 16 seconds sooner and if they endanger your life and theirs in the process, it's always worth those extra 16 seconds!

[@barsozuguler4744]

Sometimes people causes over hours of time waste by doing this time save but it is just a torture to who want to cross the road and you stuck on the middle of cross way. Guess what road became a knot itself already By the way how they pronouncing "+"shaped roads

[@forkevbot]

Yep, in cities with relatively short driving distances (say 15 minutes or so of driving) the best you can generally do at most times of the day is save 1-2 stop light cycles total which is like 3-4 minutes at best, but this is in best case scenario. Most of the time you won't save any real time except for the time it takes to move maybe a few car lengths because everybody is stopping at the stoplights anyway.

[@Kid_Legend_4_Life]

You don’t get stuck in traffic YOU BECOME THE TRAFFIC

[@ruckus2894]

I fully agree with that

[@ruckus2894]

People think that it is everyone else but they are part of the problem just as much as every one else

[@ganaraminukshuk0]

I feel like that should become a bumper sticker like the ones that have a tailgating related message on them. Speaking of which, I might have to adjust my driving style again.

[@rockysmith4658]

Sorry to be ringing in so late, whether traffic is good or bad~ it's just facilitation of transport. So there is that. Furthermore, as much as aggressive driving is problematic I understand that I am the timid driver a lot of the time, but it's more for the car I drive than me, I drive like I'm old because my car is. It could handle more than I put it through, I just choose not to do that because say a few extra thousand miles is worth to me much more than what cumulatively would amount to seconds. Lastly, I'd want to think that in such traffic events I'd wisen up to the problem. Hopefully so I could for just once say, HAZAH! The nice guy finished first XD

[@Schicksal0]

This is the point nearly no one gets.

[@robertdevald]

I think having too many traffic lights contributes to the traffic problems. There are many intersections near to where I live that ALWAYS seem to be congested, but the very few times when traffic lights don't work, the traffic flows smoothly and there is no congestion at all. In my opinion, probably around half of all the traffic lights could be removed without any negative consequences to safety, while simultaneously increasing the flow of traffic by a lot. Just my observation.

[@cutingirl]

I like roundabouts for traffic control but most in the USA don't understand them

[@purplefire2834]

That's a really good point. A semi-major intersection had the lights out and everyone was moving easily, similar to a four-way stop. I think the amount of backup was bigger than it is normally at that time.

[@jayjackson5705]

Interesting you say that. This is something that you can find out. Look up how to do a Warrant Analysis in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

[@GuyFromJupiter]

Traffic lights are great if they are times correctly. Usually they aren't though and we get stuck at each and every one.

[@jayjackson5705]

@@GuyFromJupiter depends on the goal. If your goal is to slow speeding vehicles down, "badly" times traffic lights do a great job of this.

[@suparki123]

Zipper merging is actually a traffic rule in Germany

[@SirXAT5]

Norway too

[@itsdave92]

As it should be!

[@Jonny2by4]

yet if you actually try to zipper merge in the US, you’ll be met with honks and middle fingers

[@stephlrideout]

I think it's a traffic rule almost everywhere, the trouble being that it's not known/understood in a lot of those places

[@hauntedshadowslegacy2826]

@@Jonny2by4 tf part of the country you live in where doing the right thing earns honks and birds??? Preschool City? Taking turns is something everybody learns in kindergarten, even here in the U.S.

[@onua136]

I think, now I'm gonna go out on a limb here & make a generalization, that the "answer" to this issue, is about the same as every other issue in America. A collective, dare I say, "cultural shift" in mindset, like leaving more space between cars & realizing that I/you/them/all of us are a part of the problem, will be very effective, but only if generations continue to breed progression instead of stagnation.

[@3rdeyeshine94]

People arnt patient enough

[@EngMadison]

Don't hate traffic....you are traffic

[@xostler]

Jerry Schippa pfft shows what you know. I can hate traffic because I already hate myself

[@Outwardpd]

Eh, not really because by the time we manage any cultural shift it'll be deep into the automation era and largely ineffective. The 'answer' is just to fund automated transit, even the worst automated vehicles are better than human drivers now and the best are far better than the best humans. Also if we manage to get roadways which are solely automated transit those vehicles can then begin to reliably communicate with each other in ways that prevent all traffic issues forever.

[@onua136]

@@Outwardpd that makes sense. Transportation will *hopefully* be so far along by then. Question is, well 2 actually, what do we do about old cars? Do they just get scrapped & we're forced to get newer, automated ones, or buy an expensive retrofit kit? & Also, do you think we'll ever reach the point of self-driving racing lol

[@musclehank6067]

being in a traffic jam apparently feels like being stuck between a rock and another rock, surprise you're in a sack of Rocks.

[@musclehank6067]

and I'm the hardest, most muscular rock of them all.

[@seabb]

Muscle Hank Hmm I wonder how you would compare to THE Rock. Of course, I’m talking about ol’ daddio, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson!

[@apple54345]

Why is it so hard to fix traffic is for the weak

[@superdupergrover9857]

i'm not sure if i like this one better than the old style: "(traffic jams) are for the weak" again, i just can't decide which one would be better.

[@musclehank6067]

+superdupergrover me neither!

[@tranmthu]

Fund and improve public transportation! Today on my way home from work I saw a traffic jam while the bus I was on had no problem passing all the cars because of the bus lane.

[@fastfiddler1625]

Magical moment of my life was a lady straddling lanes to prevent others from driving to the end of the lane (to zipper merge) getting pulled over.

[@TheRealPiman]

your point at 3:50 explains my new favorite "short cut." I take the back roads home most days and its usually faster than the highway but its longer. I like it mostly because there are fewer cars.

[@chernandez2134]

I feel a lot of things would be way more efficient if a majority of people didn't work and get off at approximately the same time everyday and things were staggered more. It would cut down on a ton of traffic issues and I find it kind of ridiculous how you have to take a day off of work yourself to get anything done because of the 9-5 standard business hours for virtually everything (especially with banks, doctors offices, government/licensing stuff)

[@osearthesp]

this is so you don't have time for strengthening family bonds but especially don't have time to consider we've all been bank robbed by what we think is money but is actually only 5% of what its value should be and our offspring are already promised collateral on state debt. We've increased individual and overall efficiency many many many times over since industrializing but aside from laze inducing small comforts and mindless wastes of attention we reap nearly none of it in fact just the opposite. Watch prices rise but food quality and pkg size shrink..

[@riceandpotatoes]

" And you didn't move a single centimeter" keep doing the good fight! One day we will all convert to metric . . !

[@hannahmadeleine1886]

I really loved the editing on this one. Great work, Sarah Meismer!

[@shingshongshamalama]

You know what causes an awful lot of traffic problems? Human beings driving.

[@kevinwilliams7273]

Also people slowing down to look at a minor incident on the side of the road as if they have never seen a fender bender before.

[@xostler]

I long for the day of fully automated city driving... can you imagine? People can keep goofing around on their phones without causing anyone else to miss the light!

[@Fuzzycuffsqt]

I can't wait until driverless tech catches up enough to allow robots to cause an awful lot of traffic problems too

[@austinhernandez2716]

@@xostler or how about making cities walkable so then you wouldn't even have to drive? Being able to walk a few blocks to the grocery store instead of driving for 15 minutes. But currently in the US that's mostly illegal which is bs and needs to change.

[@j0nm055]

I was disappointed that one answer to traffic given in this video wasn't to have fewer cars driving. Cars take up a ton of space relative to the amount of people being transported. Find ways to allow and encourage people to walk, bike, and take transit.

[@microbuilder]

I particularly enjoy the moments when some asshat is tailgating me, then blows past me in an unsafe manor, only to find me right behind him at the next stop light. I always make sure to give a nice happy wave at them, which always seems to infuriate them lol

[@amberhawksong]

microbuilder kek

[@microbuilder]

most cars have these neat things that are so shiny you can see a reflection in them that allows you to see whats going on behind you lol

[@zlac]

...and then, sometimes he just manages to catch the green light while you have to stop... :P

[@microbuilder]

lol yes indeed

[@kevinhunt8861]

microbuilder lol

[@haldyrs.telvanni4829]

These best practice tips need to be on the driver license test and we need people to retake this test every time they renew their license. A lot of traffic can be avoided if everyone has a better knowledge of what to do and not do.. like go 5 under in the left most passing lane.

[@thomasfoody490]

When I learnt to drive (in Melbourne, Australia, 7 years ago), one of the things I was taught, particularly ahead of the test for my licence, was that any move that required another vehicle to slow down (such as turning into another road, or merging) was not correct, and that points would be deducted from my score at my licence test exam. I think this fits with these principles - I only wish more people would adhere to this practice!

[@minerfreakpvp6954]

We gotta learn from ants.

[@codeman99-dev]

In which, quite specifically *all* travel like the "angry" lane-swapping driver.

[@cookeymonster83]

Shoot acid from our bums? I already do after Indian food.

[@dickwhitesell3467]

You mean like having a logical hive brain like fsd cars communicating together?

[@myelffleym1889]

Note to self: buy car with legs

[@c44xKlon]

Some people tend to block lets say left lane if there is narrow bit at the end, in my country we call them "sherifs" because the think they are responaible for the road and if they are staying on one lane the rest shall not overtake them because the block them. Thats another thing that has to be put into stop.

[@barrishautomotive]

How about lane discipline? The vast majority of bad traffic I experience comes from one person doing 10 under the speed limit in the left lane, leaving a quarter mile of open road ahead of them. It's fine if you don't want to do the speed limit (I guess), but move over if that's the case. It's the law in many places, but sadly not all. It gets even worse when you get 2 of these idiots side by side creating a rolling roadblock. Don't move to Idaho.

[@MarteaniArt]

barrishautomotive I hate drivers who form a blocade by all driving exactly next to one another at the same speed. Don't hover in blindspots and don't form a wall!

[@soulscanner66]

That's not true. The video explained that it comes from tailgaiters tapping their brakes or simply too much traffic at bottlenecks further down the road where you can't see it. The person floating in the left lane just slows it down a little providing they're not tapping the brakes. When you see grandma floating in the left lane, give her distance and resign yourself to arriving 30 seconds late to wherever you're going. It's better than tailgaiting.

[@zvxcvxcz]

+Guy Sourlandt Depends where you live. Where I am now flashing your brights is a clear request for them to do something because they're impeding your path. In most of the US this probably wouldn't be understood at all and is likely even illegal. Actually,... it's probably not legal here but it is such a common practice with no enforcement against it... If someone cuts you off, same thing, it makes your displeasure known, at the very least he won't be able to say in the future that he/she is driving safely when it is that obvious every time he pisses someone off. In the US it feels like people can drive badly and everyone is too polite to point it out in a way, that is, the mechanism to point it out doesn't exist in US driving culture. Honking the horn tends to be reserved for true emergencies, "I might actually run into you," and flashing the lights for, "I'm not going to slam into your car but you're a dumbass for changing into my lane with that little space."

[@danbert8]

This video glosses over what "more" space means. If you are leaving excessive gaps and not keeping up with traffic in front of you, you are like a rock in a river causing a backup behind you, and rushing traffic in front of you. Grandma floating in the left lane CAUSES traffic as people have to weave around her. That excessive gap is creating the wave, not absorbing it.

[@obscured021]

If the road here has two or more lanes traveling in the same direction the right lane is for over taking only. I traveled around New Zealand last year and if your holding up more than 2 cars you need to pull over and let them pass or the cops will fine you, best law ever!

[@pdpocket2599]

we’re experiencing a particularly trying construction season here in Minneapolis this year and it has led to some of the most stress-inducing aggressive driving situations i’ve seen and heard of. but this video made me feel a little better. i’m going to carry this with me today. everything is going to be alright. science! it’s like mind ointment.

[@1nulcearfamily224]

This has been one of your most fascinating videos of yours that I've seen

[@ItzzzBeamo]

Only problem with space allocation is everyone else wants to fill open spaces.

[@GTSN38]

Space allocation does not help traffic it hinders it

[@samfrostinjapan]

​@@GTSN38 I'm pretty sure it helps. Basically you want to make yourself as predictable as possible to other drivers, to do this you must leave space between you and the car ahead of you. However, if the person ahead of you is leaving a reasonable amount of space they will be more predictable, and so you will need less space to be predictable. This pattern repeats and speeds gradually increase as everyone predictably speeds up.

[@briane173]

That's true but not in all cases. One thing I quickly learned, having to negotiate a cloverleaf interchange between two freeways with a merging conflict beneath the overpass, that the single lane dedicated to approaching the ramp to the other freeway leaves no choice to other drivers who might want to go around me when I leave about 5 car lengths between me and the driver in front of me. Why would I do that? To allow drivers coming OFF the freeway I'm getting ON -- who have to share that merging lane with me -- plenty of time to THINK before they make the merge, leaving ample space between me and the car in front of me to make the merge. Typically, once I've made that 5 car lengths of space between me and the car in front of me, I can make space between me and the car BEHIND me as well, by accelerating just a tad, and offering more than just one car leaving the freeway I'm entering to make the merge. As I started doing that several times, a lot of cars noticed what I was doing, began doing the same thing, and after about 6 months or so of creating this "zipper merge" at an obvious merging conflict point, almost every car making that commute each morning would follow that procedure and the chronic traffic jams that used to take place at that merging conflict point disappeared. Now, I could get away with that because the exit lane was a single lane; this won't work on open freeway four - six lanes wide. The temptation is too great for drivers to fill those empty spaces with themselves. Part of the driver psychology that is difficult to assuage without being able to demonstrate to them that they're creating more problems for themselves and every other driver than they're solving.

[@hmdshokri]

If you wait enough you'll see a "Traffic Hank" soon!

[@marilynlucero9363]

Loll, that's what the Legion of Hanks need xD

[@apple54345]

thinking about making an account/profile pic just for this comment rofl.

[@IndianCanadian0]

Hank delivers his segments with a sense of humor...not to be mean to other hosts, but he's all your really need on this channel.

[@paulplatt6137]

Thank you. Great information

[@Iconoclasher]

Before I retired I did my share of Southern California traffic. 50 years of it. With my engineering background I've made some observations: Chronic congestion is often caused by right lanes that drop off. I-15 South of I-10 drops two right lanes in a few miles stretch. 6 lanes are dropped to 4. That's just stupid engineering. I read an old issue of Popular Science (1950) a long time ago and it told about a study at Columbia University (I think) that showed drivers that were slow and over cautious caused as many accidents as drunk drivers. The only difference was, they were not involved in them. Probably no solution to that problem. On the other hand, overly aggressive drivers are just as bad. A good driver needs to tread that fine line between aggressive and passive. A large majority of drivers are very good at it.

[@tchevrier]

a 1950's study on automobile traffic??? Anything in the past 70 years

[@Slarti]

" I-15 South of I-10 drops two right lanes in a few miles stretch. 6 lanes are dropped to 4." I read that with the SNL Californians accent.

[@Iconoclasher]

@@Slarti 😊

[@Slarti]

@@Iconoclasher so you have seen the sketches? As an Englishman I find them hilarious.

[@The_Vanished]

This makes sense but you will get cut off exactly when you leave more than less than one car length in front of you

[@chinoto1]

If you have enough space in front of you, then you won't be "cut off" (forced to brake/swerve to avoid hitting a merging car), the other driver simply merges in and you coast for a bit to regain your gap.

[@outlyinggamers2384]

I'm glad this information is out there. Now we have to educate.

[@spacebike420]

You callin' me a soft meat bag? Ya, that's accurate.

[@AB-hi6ru]

It's pretty simple, Stagger starting times for work based on zones. Having a 9-5 schedule for everyone is the primary reason why traffic occurs especially as the population grows and accessibility to cars is becoming easier.

[@kurzzug160]

A B You would just be eliminating symptoms. The real problem is that people don't live near their workplace anymore or have to rely on their car to get there.

[@RottingDragon]

A B You want the government to dictate what times businesses can operate?

[@FishFind3000]

But how to get get work done if you need to talk to someone that’s not a work yet?

[@Ghorda9]

everyone that works at the same place will have the same schedule.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

namenszwang ist behindert And you want the government to dictate where people can live? That's how we get China and the Soviet Union

[@BeingLolaStar]

Watching this makes me realize how "reactive" I drive. Slowing down and leaving a gap ahead of me so I can start up again as soon as the light changes, trying to leave a gap between me and other cars (which apparently to bad drivers is an opening to cut me off), considering conditions and flow of traffic instead of "speed limits" as a the thing determining my speed, taking similar or long alternate routes during rush hour to avoid congestion and actually move quicker.... No wonder I'm angry all the time. I'm driving more strategically than people.

[@gmax341]

Was waiting for this. Thank you

[@seska1245]

You should make another video like this detailing new inventive ways to reduce all the problems you listed. As a delivery driver, this video makes me happy haha

[@mikepublic111]

At the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel in NYC, there are signs telling drivers to use zipper merge. It seems to work. Zipper merge doesn't work in places where there are no such signs, because drivers don't think to use it.

[@WouldntULikeToKnow.]

I moved from NJ to CA a few years back. While east coasters don't zipper often I find that CA drivers understand and automatically zipper most of the time. It's very odd.

[@combatking0]

So the answer would be to spread out rush-hour by having a range of start & end times to the day, rather than the traditional 9-5. If some people had the opportunity to work 7-3, 8-4, 10-6 and 11-7, and this was done fairly evenly, there'd be reduction of rush hour traffic of up to 80%. I know there are many jobs which aren't specifically 9-5, but spreading out the office hours could work.

[@freespuddy]

I agree. I had one shift that started at 7 AM & ended at 3-30 PM. So much better, especially for a morning person like me. No traffic whatsoever at 7 AM. Of course, that was in Idaho. In California, 8 lanes were always full of cars, even at 3 AM.

[@rydaddy2867]

That's how I handled traffic for years. My work time was flexible, I just needed to get done what I was expected to. I just kept starting earlier and earlier until I liked the amount of traffic I was dealing with. Ended up working 6am to 3pm. Then 2 more people in the office liked the idea and did the same...we created our own early crew.

[@DW-vl2wi]

Combat King 0 Or Or! How about we cut the ridiculous 40 hrs a week and also help work-life balance? I think Sweden people work 3 days a week.

[@andrewsutton6640]

I was thinking about avoiding everyone getting on the road at the same time. I haven’t looked at the numbers of cars or into the changes in behavior, if any, but I suspect that “rush ‘hour’” traffic here in Houston has now become several hours every day(3-7p compared to 5-6)

[@socarnaytoo8518]

I'm glad you mentioned the delay effect at time 7:00 this works in every traffic jam. There is also the "I'm waiting after the light turns green to see if everybody else is going to stop at their red light because I don't want to get hurt driver." "I'm looking at my phone so I didn't notice the light had turned green delay driver.." "I'm such a nice person I'm going to stop on the interstate to allow cars to merge onto the highway driver." "I'm going to get in the far left lane and go as fast as I can before I reach my turn off exit then I'm going to shift over two or three lanes when I get there delay traffic jammer." "I'm going to almost stop when I make a turn drivers." I'm going to go fast to swerve in front of you then slam on my brakes so I can turn drivers."

[@john.ellmaker]

Pretty informative and solidified things I already knew, especially about leaving space in front of you for both safety and smoother driving. I thought this was going to be more about traffic lights with the thumbnail though, it seems like there could be so much AI or simply algorithmic improvements on stoplights but maybe I’m missing something there too

[@johnchessant3012]

5:12 - 6:35 Hm, very similar to CGP Grey's "The Simple Solution to Traffic" (especially from 6:16). (Although, there aren't that many semantically-different ways to explain the "traffic wave".)

[@scottyee707]

this video should be played everyday in school in CA...

[@alvallac2171]

*every day (meaning "daily") everyday = adjective meaning typical/ordinary/average

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodDM]

Great video...confirms a lot of what I already believed would make driving better (especially the zipper merge! I have found if you leave enough space in front and behind you for one car to enter, lane merging can still go relatively fast. Always so frustrating when you see people zip in and try to get as far forward as possible or the other lane refusing to let anyone in). Also, traffic waves are part of stop lights too, just in reverse. When the light turns green, the first car lets off the brake and accelerates with the second car waiting till that person goes before they begin to accelerate as well and so on and so forth. Cars way down the line are then having to wait increasingly longer to go while the light is green. But, if all cars in the lane watched the light and began to accelerate at the exact same time as it turned green, more traffic would get through the light (that's where proper spacing helps as well as if you give enough room between cars, there should be enough time to negate most differences or provide enough reaction time in case the car in front doesn't start to move).

[@PietSwart]

The gap thing works. I have figured this out by spending a lot of time on the road. It at least makes my journey less stressful. I also believe that Google Maps and Waze help with congestion by "rerouting" you to the quieter but now faster route.

[@ChinaMo]

Them timid-folk from 8:03 need to get out of the left lane!! It's for passing, not a picnic!! And know who is supposed to yield when merging! And learn how to turn left at an intersection! And use turn signals when changing lanes, merging, or turning!! And if you *must* be on your phone (I can *SEE* you in the mirror!), get outta the left lane!! (So many annoying things). Rawr! Great video, in any case :-)

[@TheAnubis57]

HOV lanes is the way to go especially for buses which make commuting by mass transit more desirable. Again more mass transit -- less cars !!!!!

[@tranthanhnguyen0205]

I usually think about this problem while in traffic and one of the best-est ways I've thought is changing the time to go home in every company; I think that is the best way. As you said before, putting a lot of rocks to get out of one hole with cause the jam, but if we put the rocks out not the same time but groups by groups, the would be hardly any rocks at the "pressure point".

[@jakerobertson8224]

Love the great information :)

[@IstasPumaNevada]

I'm really hoping automated cars become viable and affordable soon. It would help with this, and things like providing transport for those in society who can no longer safely drive.

[@Phobia963]

I don't know why the U.S. doesn't put more money into effective public transportation. Trains don't get into traffic jams, in case any one was wondering.

[@ryannickens7848]

We have had automated vehicles (forklifts) at my job for several years now, and let me tell you... they stop functioning and need assistance FREQUENTLY. And this is in a small area with a small number of vehicles. Autonomous vehicles will be great in, like, 50 years when the technology is perfected. Until then, it's going to be a mess. When the human in front of you is a horrible driver, at least you can just honk your horn to get them to pay attention, you don't have to stop everything and call tech support. We are a LONG way from autonomous vehicles being any kind of traffic fix.

[@mpdavis731]

For a city like mine, it just plain doesn't work - way too spread out. We have buses, but you wind up waiting for hours. (Jacksonville, FL, 874 square miles)

[@Phobia963]

Yeah buddy, that's why I said trains. Particularly magnetic ones, which are super fast and efficient for upkeep.

[@aloedg3191]

Automated cars are 1000x costlier and 10x less effective than simple good public transit. We had it all figured out until the automobile lobby undid that progress to sell more cars.

[@Midnightblew23]

It’s frustrating when people tailgate you on an incline with a manual :/

[@zachburke8906]

Midnightblew23 sadly no one in the US seems to understand manuals anymore. I seem to be the only one that gives more space on inclines Incase someone is in a manual.

[@darkmansigma4541]

I'm in the US and drive a manual, one because it was cheaper to buy new. Second, it's effectively a free security system (some car insurance companies give you a discount as so few people know how to drive stick anymore). Though the fuel economy aspect of manual is almost gone, as automatic transmissions are getting very good at shifting at more optimal times.

[@numb3r663]

Automatics dont give you control like a stick....manuals are safer, autos are fragile,sluggish and expensive to replace. Manuals cant be "hacked"

[@numb3r663]

When driving a manual on level road just go to top gear once you hit the speed limit even if its 20 mph....Thats why autos get better now, it can be programmed to shift that way when before it was all mechanical.

[@JobertoDiniz]

Great episode

[@ancientswordrage]

Studied similar systems in uni, and came across someone studying these systems called Slomo. Just a great name for this.

[@TheLunaLockhart]

it's interesting how all of the best solutions involve us treating each-other as equals. I wonder why that might be? (cough cough, Alfie Kohn, cough cough)

[@DataCab1e]

CGP Grey answered this more than a year and a half ago. Take selfish soft meat-bags out of the equation. Nothing but coordinated self-driving cars on the roads.

[@randomstranger623]

Or hear me out. #BanCars More public transpo.

[@thecrippledpancake9455]

0:18 Oh, that’s the worst! When there’s so many people in front of you that you you block part of the intersection when you move forward and this can’t go on a green light. 😩

[@CybershamanX]

(8:13) I'm reminded of the phenomenon of truck drivers working in tandem to block traffic by driving side by side up to the point where the merge happens and then the truck in the open lane lets the other truck pull in front of them. It does seem to help, at least for them, to let everyone in front of them sort out getting into the proper lane. But, it would be interesting to see just how much time they actually save. I suspect that it's not much. Driving psychology is interesting to me. Interesting video, SciShow! :)

[@billweir1745]

I just avoid packs when I'm driving and try to have the least amount of cars around me.

[@hustlehank6855]

It's not difficult just ram your car through all the others

[@barrishautomotive]

Hustle Hank : This.

[@matthew0lamson]

Someone just did that in my town and caused a 10 car reck

[@apple54345]

"Hustle Hank"?? Cmon now these memes are getting stretched a bit thin.

[@trogdor6825]

If everybody drives a tank then nobody is driving a tank

[@aaronsmith5864]

That's why I keep the snow plow attached all year long

[@saiajin82]

My favorite part of SciShow: Hank improvising/little rants...they make me laugh! Keep it up SciShow you're the best!

[@JockStud]

Videos like this should be played at every road and range class

[@SuicideBunny6]

🎶 We're jamming, jamming. And I hope you like jamming you like jamming too! 🎶

[@seamusdrew2804]

You did not get enough credit for this.

[@3bydacreekside]

Simpsons XD

[@FxMoto]

In Belgium commuting on a motorcycle is incentivised monetarily by being able to deduct them from your taxes. Research indicates that 5% more motorcycle commuters (you can filter here, with rules of course) would reduce overall traffic jams by around 40 to 60%. I like that, it does not require you to take public transport which is never ideal unless you work and live in a big city, here many people prefer the rural areas, where it is impractical to not have a personal vehicle. Now all we need is permission to use the bus lanes.

[@wolfiethebumpireslyr]

What about when it rains?

[@manhphuc4335]

You haven’t been to any motorcycle asian countries then.

[@Gitami]

You can take a look on Taiwan's traffic videos if they are on KZbin. Air quality goes down when over 50,000 motorcycle are used daily. Don't look into accident rates though since there are Taiwanese who think drinking beer at 6 am before driving is perfectly fine for them.

[@Dowent]

@wolfiethebumpireslyr: You can get roof-canopy add-on for many bigger scooters. It's not only great in rain, but in winter as well.

[@Dowent]

@Gitami: Air quality would be way lower if those people would have been driving a car. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that 125ccm motorcycle weighting about 120kg produces less pollution than 1200ccm car that weights almost a ton.

[@cordellallen7688]

This video should be a part of every driver's safety course... Thank you Hank!

[@MaximusLongus]

Neat video on car traffic. Sadly you guys didn't even mention the most obvious issue with car traffic: There's too many. Moving people from cars onto space efficient forms of traffic is in my opinion the most straight forward way to alleviate congestion. Sadly I don't see this happening in the US within the current century.

[@FinessseJu]

Clicked so fast because traffic sucks

[@Linkman95]

Leaving more space between cars is 100% not the answer, because then some ass decides to get right in between you and the other car and instead of tapping your breaks you're practically slamming them

[@AlthenaLuna]

Yup. Happens to me all the time.

[@HonestLeigh]

I've always called the traffic wave the "inchworm". Especially if there's several consecutive waves.

[@creepinwhileyousleepin]

I use the leftest most lane as my own personal expressway. usually going about 10 to 15 or 20 over, if someone decides they want to top that then i move to let them by. its a nice system.

[@NoorquackerInd]

Self-driving cars. In a giant hive mind.

[@carlwinn6180]

self driving cars with a shared network/hivemind that sport electric motors (high torque and quick acceleration to the speed limit) would solve a LOT, if not most of all traffic issue

[@Wardell43]

"Why Is It So Hard to Fix Traffic?"?? a)The Human Factor

[@samborton6613]

Hey I see where you're coming from with adding more lanes, but firsthand i will say that on i-270 in columbus, on the west side of 270 south, they added a 4th lane to the highway's entire north/south-going stretch. In this case, it legitimately made the commute from the north side to the south side from about 35 or 40 minutes because of stops, to full speed traffic with no slowdowns, taking about 20 minutes tops to go the whole distance. It can really, really help in some cases.

[@fleafrier1]

This video confirms what I have always suspected. Most people think like rocks in a bag when they drive.

[@MusiCaninesTheMusicalDogs]

I'm gonna need a lot of popcorn to read all the comments from people saying the problem is the other drivers!

[@solrosenberg9552]

The problem is the other drivers.

[@3rdeyeshine94]

@Average Joesson and animals

[@philliple123]

One solution for traffic: Rent/Own a dragon.

[@Ms.Nightshade]

...or a bulldozer

[@BrillPappin]

I've noticed this in Ontario. The large 4 lane highways often jam up, but the smaller two lane highways tend to force driver to keep right, and allow passing.

[@ClintChance]

I'm an over the road trucker. The views expressed here are completely accurate and help reduce congestion everywhere! These work! Get off the phone. Show down, put more space and just enjoy the ride!

[@OBtheamazing]

Sitting farther back doesn’t work on the highway because people will continuously cut in front of you forcing you to brake eventually. I’ve seen it countless times. If there is more then a car length or two of space a bunch of people are gonna cut you off

[@iAmTheSquidThing]

Yep, I used to deliberately leave plenty of space, and people did this. I guess the trick is to leave just over a car-length, but not enough space for someone to cut in.

[@MikeTrieu]

Andy Brice Yeah, that's my rule of thumb, except when it comes to highway on-ramps. Then I'll gradually allow for enough space for exactly one other car to zipper-merge from the right into my lane, as any civilized person should do.

[@kobathor]

Just one or two car lengths? That's tailgating. You should leave two to three seconds of space between you and the car in front of you. Two car lengths is _not_ "plenty of space." Do you know how to measure seconds? First, you pick a point. On the road or a sign etc. When the rear bumper of the car ahead passes that point, count until your front bumper passes it. There should be a two to three second count to be safe. On the highway that can be more than a hundred feet. If you leave that much space, and somebody gets in front of you, there's no need to even put on your brakes. You just let off the gas until the space in front is back to a two to three second count.

[@OBtheamazing]

Koby Dunham the problem is that people will continuously cut in front of you so now you are going 65 mph constantly trying to maintain a safe distance in the left lane when everyone else is going 85

[@kobathor]

Oliver B use common sense. You go the same speed as the person in front of you, just don't ride their ass. Leaving space for cars to go in front of you doesn't mean going slow.

[@ihaterz123]

its because people who don't know how to drive somehow end up getting driver license

[@yuuri9064]

Some don't know how to, but some just don't care.

[@DW-vl2wi]

David Garcia And drugs.

[@limiv5272]

It's actually men who do the stupidest, most dangerous things while on the road. They also like to behave like they own it

[@DW-vl2wi]

Limi V Hmmm. Here we go...

[@darrellcole6311]

I traveled 50 miles to work..one way for 21 years. i found that the closer it got to the time most people need to be at work, the more aggressive the drivers become. I always put a lot of space between me and the car in front. As Captain Stubby of WLS fame said back in the 50's when he'd sign off his morning show, "Pay attention to the car behind the car in front of you"

[@MsHarpsychord]

In Tropico i built a lot of dead-end blocks. It forces people not to congest blocks, since they get to the end of the road, trying to continue forward only to have do a U-Turn back the way they came. This adds time onto their journey in the short-term but reduces congestion of the city in the long-term.

[@firepower7017]

I would enforce a whooping if a driver had gotten greedy. I win again

[@doomstadt2371]

Your zipper theory only works if there is actually a "you go, I go, you go, i go" behaviour. But most times you let one person in and everyone tries to pile in at once and then we all just sit there.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

That’s why you need to enforce it with fines like Poland did. In my country it’s a free for all and usually results in a ton of road rage and a crash because no one in the other lane gets let in, then when they finally sneak through the next car in the first lane SLAMS down the breaks and stops half an inch from the car merging in, stopping every car for the next 3 miles.

[@kingdom7777777]

The best way to fix traffic is to promote the Tide Pod Challenge

[@17clon2cwr]

Sounds like the best remedy for preventing traffic congestion is simply to mediate the traffic traveling through said area. An idea I would consider helpful for highways would be sections of highway with "speed reduction" or stop lights that activate once congestion begins some miles ahead, This would put a stop to over crowding.

[@myass5964]

What Hank Green said is how semi driver drive through traffic, so some people do understand it. Great video

[@Pedro-tm6ue]

Also, the Mythbuster found out that roundabouts can improve the flow of traffic as much as 20%.

[@QuantumRealm-]

Only in the US, because here in the US we are all idiots that only care for ourselves. In the UK and many other countries there ARE roundabouts, and they help.

[@toastiesburned9929]

Roundabouts in the US are pointless. No one knows how to use them

[@danieldaniels7571]

toasties burned I know how to use them

[@toastiesburned9929]

@@danieldaniels7571 goodn I wish there were more of us 😁

[@justincox8658]

it's usually 1 or 2 peeps, you can only go as fast as the slowest grandma. Also, all it takes is 1 guy cutting off traffic causing traffic waves.

[@2nationsentertainment602]

You are awesome!!

[@argella1300]

4:23 See also: The Big Dig in Boston, Massachusetts to demolish and bury the central artery of Interstate 93, one of the main roadways into the city. Also, as a rule of thumb, when you're stopped at a traffic light, you should be able to completely see the rear wheels and bumper of the car in front of you. That's how you know if you're far enough away from them or not. 7:45 They also have to replace their brakes more often.

[@k1ngjulien_]

N O M O R E M O N K E Y S D R I V I N G

[@spider-insider7981]

Just put roundabouts everywhere! Or just design cities with better infrastructure and public transport!

[@spider-insider7981]

But Voltaic Fire, they're extremely efficient if you know and follow the rules!

[@TheSirGoreaxe]

That's the problem, the rules are too complicated for most drivers. Which in my opinion they shouldn't have a license in the first place.

[@shadowfan982]

TheSirGoreaxe well then they are the problem

[@lillyko5611]

I love roundabouts. They are not complicated, way more efficient then a traffic lights when it comes to how many cars can travel through and once build do not require electricity to run. I love them.

[@kurzzug160]

Lillyko The real reason roundabouts work is because they require traffic to slow down. Traffic on highways would also be less congested if there were slower speeds.

[@tyrannasaurruss6329]

Thanks for this video guys. I just have one little point of contention; There are two instances I can think of when being right on somebody's bumper is acceptable, and actually preferable: when stopped at a red light or octagon, and when in a turn lane. Pulling up close in these situations allows for more cars to get in line, leads to less people stuck blocking intersections, and helps to avoid that annoying situation where the left turn lane is full and everybody has to squeeze into the right lane to get around. Since, as Hank said, the time it takes to get up to speed balances out whether you were close and had to wait to accelerate or back a ways and started moving right away, there is no benefit to leaving an overabundance of space when stopped. Obviously I am not advocating touching bumpers, and when on a hill or behind a stick shift a little more space is needed, but leaving as little space as is safe to leave in these situations is beneficial for everyone.

[@fluuufffffy1514]

(if to promote zipper merge alone) THANK YOU for this!