Make it make sense
-
If you're still moving with traffic, why do you care that someone got in front of you?
Because you no longer have a 3 second gap so you can no longer safely react to something happening in front of you.
If you're slowing so much that lots of people are getting in front at one time, then you're the obstacle.
That's my point. If you keep trying to make a 3 second gap and it keeps being filled in, you're going to cause a traffic problem.
A 3 second gap changes with speed, if it's slow traffic that's less than a car length
Technically, sure. If you're driving at less than 5 km/h and people on foot are passing you, then yes, you can have a 3 second gap with less than 1 car length. But, if you're driving at less than 5 km/h are you really driving, or are you effectively stopped in traffic?
-
This is the correct answer. There isn't a city on earth that has fixed congestion by building for more cars. It's the places that build for trains and bikes that are best for driving, ironically.
Sometimes, you achieve good traffic flow by making a city so absurdly difficult to drive in that people give up, park in the outskirts, and take public transport.
Example: Amsterdam. In the city, there is almost no traffic, achieved through insanely twisty road signals, stupid expensive parking spots and no gas stations. And still, almost no traffic doesn’t mean no traffic… I can’t understand people still clinging to a car in such conditions.
-
And after they do, there will no longer be a 3 second gap, and you're now driving too close to the person in front of you.
You don't have to brake and maintain a hard 3 seconds between gap. Just let off the gas a bit let it slowly restore itself. That gap is there so cars can move in and out as freely as they need.
-
If you're still moving with traffic, why do you care that someone got in front of you?
Because you no longer have a 3 second gap so you can no longer safely react to something happening in front of you.
If you're slowing so much that lots of people are getting in front at one time, then you're the obstacle.
That's my point. If you keep trying to make a 3 second gap and it keeps being filled in, you're going to cause a traffic problem.
A 3 second gap changes with speed, if it's slow traffic that's less than a car length
Technically, sure. If you're driving at less than 5 km/h and people on foot are passing you, then yes, you can have a 3 second gap with less than 1 car length. But, if you're driving at less than 5 km/h are you really driving, or are you effectively stopped in traffic?
If all these people are merging in front of you, then the adjacent lanes are moving a lot better, which is helpful for traffic. Less braking is the goal, and if 2 or more lanes aren't braking as much because you left some space in front of you, then traffic should flow much better.
-
Only ever have to ask, my friend
Heres an overview shot of a traffic pulse.
One person brakes for no reason which leads to everyone else braking. The pulse travels despite there being nothing there. The longer it can take for someone to start up again also can delay the whole thing.
wrote last edited by [email protected]It happens when people tailgate. They over react and it causes an accordion effect.
-
It happens when people tailgate. They over react and it causes an accordion effect.
wrote last edited by [email protected]Or when people drive too aggressively and cut someone off, causing the person being cut off to slam on their brake.
-
If you do that, someone will move into the gap. If someone moves into the gap you can slow down to make another gap to them, but then someone else will drive into that gap. I don't know of any major city where you can maintain a 3 second gap during rush hour.
Even worse, if you ever brake to try to create a gap, you're likely to cause a traffic jam behind you.
Sure, if everybody did follow the suggestion and allowed a 3 second gap you wouldn't have traffic jams, but that's just not human nature, apparently.
wrote last edited by [email protected]You're totally right. It's a social/culture issue. You doing this on your own isn't going to do shit. Everyone has to miraculously decide to come together to solve the problem with no one taking advantage. It's the same reason we can't do anything about climate change.
Edit: I realize this came off as extremely dismissive about climate change. I still think we should do what we can to, at the very least, reduce effects. It was more just a realistic take of why I think we're all fucked. I still avoid eating meat, single use garbage, and other wasteful shit, don't get me wrong.
Can anyone tell me why this is being downvoted? I don't really care about downvotes, Im more just wondering how I'm wrong.
-
The people at the front are morons and probably in the wrong lane.
You don't like driving 55 in the passing lane? You get such a great view of everyone flipping you off!
-
You don't have to brake and maintain a hard 3 seconds between gap. Just let off the gas a bit let it slowly restore itself. That gap is there so cars can move in and out as freely as they need.
Depends on how aggressively someone merges in front of you, and what they do once they're in your lane. Some people will merge way too closely. Some people will merge then slow down suddenly. Sometimes you do need to brake.
-
Its because of two things. One is that people hog the passing lane or try to pass slowly so it takes them a few minutes to overtake a few cars, and also because people drive at different speeds. Some people drive at the speed that feels comfortable, others drive the state imposed speed limit. This creates pockets of dense traffic, and then people try to pass, but there is always the person who tries to pass as slow as possible because they are going a few mph over the speed limit.
Its really just a bad combination of laws, and drivers who are terrified of breaking the law, and people who dont know how to drive correctly in a way to reduce traffic. Also many people are just never consider that others also need to use the roads. They don't care about traffic. Some people also have health issues, like blindness, or mental handicaps, which means driving at interstate speeds is about all they can muster.
wrote last edited by [email protected]Hey, if you have some physical limitation and cannot or are simply not comfortable going faster, that's 100% fine (assuming you can operate a car safely). Stay the hell in the right lane and never leave it, thanks
-
Depends on how aggressively someone merges in front of you, and what they do once they're in your lane. Some people will merge way too closely. Some people will merge then slow down suddenly. Sometimes you do need to brake.
If they merge in your lane and then brake, then thats on them, not you. Yes, you will have to brake, but its not you that is being the bad driver. Just create more space between you and the car in front of you again.
You could also look into merging into a different lane temporarily until space is restored.
-
You're totally right. It's a social/culture issue. You doing this on your own isn't going to do shit. Everyone has to miraculously decide to come together to solve the problem with no one taking advantage. It's the same reason we can't do anything about climate change.
Edit: I realize this came off as extremely dismissive about climate change. I still think we should do what we can to, at the very least, reduce effects. It was more just a realistic take of why I think we're all fucked. I still avoid eating meat, single use garbage, and other wasteful shit, don't get me wrong.
Can anyone tell me why this is being downvoted? I don't really care about downvotes, Im more just wondering how I'm wrong.
At least with climate change, your actions can make things slightly better. It's not enough to be measurable if only one person does it, but if it's a tiny pressure in the right direction. But, if you drive in a way that's too different from how other people drive, you can actually make traffic worse or more dangerous.
-
That's also why the best way to relieve traffic is to go at a slow even pace without braking. Every time the someone in heavy traffic runs up the ass of another car and brakes hard, or swerves into the "faster" lane and make someone else brake to not hit them, they cause another brake wave. If you have a few cars intentionally just hanging back and cruising with a big enough gap between them and the cars jocking for position in traffic in front of them, then their brake waves do not propogate behind you and eventually traffic just picks up pace again.
Edit: side bonus, you still get there just as fast, but with a lot less stress fighting assholes for position (minus the ones who fly past you thinking you're the asshole for not riding someone else's bumper)
Californians te the worst drivers in the world because none of them understand this simple concept. Every day I’m driving, I give more than enough space in front of me for someone to cut me off and I don’t have to brake. It’s simple. However, I’m constantly getting people riding my ass. Switching around me. And being over all menaces just because I’m leaving a roper gap between myself and the car in front of me. It’s wild.
-
If they merge in your lane and then brake, then thats on them, not you. Yes, you will have to brake, but its not you that is being the bad driver. Just create more space between you and the car in front of you again.
You could also look into merging into a different lane temporarily until space is restored.
It may be "on them, not you", but if it keeps happening because of the way you're driving, then fundamentally it's on you.
The fact is, if someone drives too differently from other drivers they make things less safe for everyone. It doesn't matter that if everyone adopted their way of driving it would be safer. It's still the case that driving too differently endangers everyone else.
In some cases, leaving a 3 second gap is going to cause more dangerous conditions than it alleviates. That's especially true if you're really rigorous about that 3 second gap and noticeably slow down to create a new gap when someone merges in front of you.
-
Only ever have to ask, my friend
Heres an overview shot of a traffic pulse.
One person brakes for no reason which leads to everyone else braking. The pulse travels despite there being nothing there. The longer it can take for someone to start up again also can delay the whole thing.
Iirc, the answer is to have someone drive slowly and let other cars pass. It creates a buffer zone that regulates the flow back to normal pace. Or at least that's what I remember from New Scientist's video from like a decade ago.
-
This is why I thought that maybe it would be good to have some kind of pacing cars, e.g. operated by traffic police? I.e. when you already know or can anticipate that there is a large jam building up, you bring in one pacing car on every lane at an appropriate low speed and everyone has to adjust, so the thing you mentioned won't happen.
Nah, cops being on the highway is one of the big causes of traffic. Everyone slows down to the speed limit when they come up on a cop and many are too timid to pass at all. This causes a huge brake wave and fucks everything up. It's why I don't think speed limits should even be a thing or should at least be adjusted because most highways are so low that just about everyone ignores them (and is not harmed doing so) until law enforcement appears. If people want to go slower that's fine but they need to keep right when they aren't passing and everyone needs to leave plenty of space in front of them so that traffic is permeable enough that people can get to their exit without causing brake waves and absorb the "shock" when it is necessary for someone to hit their brakes.
-
This is why I thought that maybe it would be good to have some kind of pacing cars, e.g. operated by traffic police? I.e. when you already know or can anticipate that there is a large jam building up, you bring in one pacing car on every lane at an appropriate low speed and everyone has to adjust, so the thing you mentioned won't happen.
I feel like regular patrol cars might work like this already - who's going to blow past a cop driving down the road?
-
If you do that, someone will move into the gap. If someone moves into the gap you can slow down to make another gap to them, but then someone else will drive into that gap. I don't know of any major city where you can maintain a 3 second gap during rush hour.
Even worse, if you ever brake to try to create a gap, you're likely to cause a traffic jam behind you.
Sure, if everybody did follow the suggestion and allowed a 3 second gap you wouldn't have traffic jams, but that's just not human nature, apparently.
Teach people to drive on the right lane unless they want to overtake somebody. Whoever overtakes you on the left won't drive into the gap because they also want to overtake whoever is driving in front of you.
-
This is why I thought that maybe it would be good to have some kind of pacing cars, e.g. operated by traffic police? I.e. when you already know or can anticipate that there is a large jam building up, you bring in one pacing car on every lane at an appropriate low speed and everyone has to adjust, so the thing you mentioned won't happen.
This is about 2 decades old now but a bunch of people tried something sorta like a pacing car
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoETMCosULQ
