Make it make sense
-
Often they do this because their car is barely limping along and they are trying to make it to the next exit.
wrote last edited by [email protected]This driver is distinct from that driver. We definitely have those too, and they have my sympathies. 10 seconds of engine death vs 10 seconds of brain death.
-
Similar to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbulence
The gist of it is that once you reach critical density people can not drive homogenously anymore and (de-) accelerate constantly to not bump into the next car. The problem could be alleviated with self driving cars which negotiate a uniform speed.The problem is solved by connecting all the cars, and putting them on rails that are electrified. This way you move fuel off site, and the cars are synced by the connection.
-
Similar to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbulence
The gist of it is that once you reach critical density people can not drive homogenously anymore and (de-) accelerate constantly to not bump into the next car. The problem could be alleviated with self driving cars which negotiate a uniform speed.Your solution is a dream. Real solutions already exist, it's called mass transit.
-
Similar to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbulence
The gist of it is that once you reach critical density people can not drive homogenously anymore and (de-) accelerate constantly to not bump into the next car. The problem could be alleviated with self driving cars which negotiate a uniform speed.self driving cars which negotiate a uniform speed.
Until then, human drivers could approximate this system by all agreeing on a uniform speed. Maybe through some sort of app?
Or, this sounds crazy, perhaps the authorities could post signs by the side of the highway with the uniform speed printed on it?
-
It's usually a complex crowd effect created by many participants trying to maneuver among each other in slightly disperate ways.
In Portland OR, it really is because some dingbat slowed down to 20 MPH on the interstate for literally no fucking reason at all.
Taking I-5 into Vancouver from Portland is always horrific. Once you get over the bridge it always clears right up! A big part of that is all the on ramps. There's so many of them! So everybody is having to make way every 10 feet for someone merging in.
It's horrendous.
-
You need to give even more space then so that them doing that doesnt make you slow down. People cutting in front of you also helps because those are the assholes causing the brake waves.
Edit: down voters, I'm not saying that he "needs" to do anything as in it is his responsibility or he's to blame. I'm saying that, if he is going to employ this strategy, that making room for pricks swerving in front of you needs to be part of that strategy in order for the desired outcome to happen. If they are making you brake, then your attempts will not work.
At that point, you're the guy doing 15 mph under the limit in the left lane.
Please only attempt this in the right lane.
-
At that point, you're the guy doing 15 mph under the limit in the left lane.
Please only attempt this in the right lane.
wrote last edited by [email protected]Everyone is doing 15+ under. We're taking stop and go traffic. What are you talking about?
Edit: Also the least effective place to do this is the right lane. The right lane can have traffic because exits are backup up onto the highway. The left lanes are the ones only getting backed up due to brake waves.
-
Yeah, in theory it's great but every time I try it people just cut in front of me then slam on brakes causing me to have to brake then adjust then repeat ad nauseam. People suck.
I feel that
Works for me even with cut ins, gets easier with practice I’d say! Couple interesting YouTube videos on it, one here:
-
This post did not contain any content.
George Carlin explains it pretty simply
-
It’s a joy to go an hour using a release of the gas pedal as the “brake“
-
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)
Preach truth, Krypty
-
Similar to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbulence
The gist of it is that once you reach critical density people can not drive homogenously anymore and (de-) accelerate constantly to not bump into the next car. The problem could be alleviated with self driving cars which negotiate a uniform speed.wrote last edited by [email protected]The problem could be alleviated with self driving cars which negotiate a uniform speed.
Other than the obvious public transit solution comment, you are aware that ACC exists right?
We literally have the technology on almost all new cars to keep a uniform distance from the car in front of it. Even without that if people realized you can save fuck all time by speeding on your 30 mile commute we could have cars moving at the speed limit and just have smooth traffic flow without any need for self-driving
-
Taking I-5 into Vancouver from Portland is always horrific. Once you get over the bridge it always clears right up! A big part of that is all the on ramps. There's so many of them! So everybody is having to make way every 10 feet for someone merging in.
It's horrendous.
wrote last edited by [email protected]Yeah they could probably stand to lose the more southern of the two ramp sets at Delta Park, feels very extra and overall unhelpful (And I say this as someone who uses that ramp when headed north). Of course ODOT's solution, beyond replacing the bridge, is to widen I-5 south of the bridge - Which anyone with a brain and 50 years of highway traffic studies can tell us would directly contribute to worsening the problem.
-
CGP grey did a video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHzzSao6ypE
Basically one car breaking too much will make the following brake even more and so on until one stops and there's a jam. There is no clear reason like a road blockage or an accident, just compounding slow down.
I'd recommend this video as a response to that one, cgp greys video is technically correct and fucking dumb at the same time
-
This post did not contain any content.wrote last edited by [email protected]
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.
-
Yeah, in theory it's great but every time I try it people just cut in front of me then slam on brakes causing me to have to brake then adjust then repeat ad nauseam. People suck.
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.
-
Yeah ideally you put 3 seconds between you and the car in front of you. Gives a nice, springy cushion to not brake as much. Your mechanic will also be surprised how much longer your brakes last.
wrote last edited by [email protected]If you're in traffic (i.e. if you are part of the traffic) and you leave a 3 second gap between you and the car in front of you, another car will drive into that gap. If you back off to create another 3 second gap, it will happen again. Even worse, if you hit the brakes to create that three second gap, even if it's very lightly, you might cause an even worse traffic jam behind you.
I would prefer to leave a big gap to the traffic in front of me, but in many cases 3 seconds simply isn't practical. A car merging into the lane in front of you is inherently more dangerous than a car already being in that lane. If you keep trying to maintain a 3 second gap in heavy traffic, not only do you put yourself in more danger as you keep having cars merging in front of you, you also cause more danger to the drivers behind you by constantly backing off or braking to try to maintain a gap.
It would be absolutely wonderful if everybody believed in the 3 second rule. Traffic would flow so much more smoothly. But, apparently that isn't human nature. And, if you keep fighting for that gap when nobody else believes in it, you can actually make things less safe for yourself and for others.
-
This post did not contain any content.
3 fucking seconds
The answer is a simple 3 second gap.
That's it, just 3-mississippi (or 3-onethousand) seconds behind the car in front of you and most of the avoidable jams go away.
-
You need to give even more space then so that them doing that doesnt make you slow down. People cutting in front of you also helps because those are the assholes causing the brake waves.
Edit: down voters, I'm not saying that he "needs" to do anything as in it is his responsibility or he's to blame. I'm saying that, if he is going to employ this strategy, that making room for pricks swerving in front of you needs to be part of that strategy in order for the desired outcome to happen. If they are making you brake, then your attempts will not work.
I have adaptive cruise with a settable car length and increasing the gap length just makes the cars behind you act more deranged.
I've found the only setting that doesn't make everyone around me fly off the handle is the lowest (one car gap) setting.
I also drive in the diamond lane on long trips and typically have my upper speed limit set well above what the person in front of me is driving.
-
Too many people were taught, and still teach, the "two car's length" rule. Which is awful. 2 to 3 seconds is much better and intuitive to figure out.
You say 3, which is great, but I'd settle for 2. Most people on the highways around me leave more like 0.5; I sincerely think the vast majority of people greatly overestimate the amount of space in front of them to the next car.
wrote last edited by [email protected]Two car lengths is ridiculously close. The average car is approx. 4.5m in length. Two car lengths is 9m. The average human reaction speed to visual stimuli is approx 250 milliseconds. At 100 km/h (28 m/s) you would travel 7 metres in that time, and that's just the time for you to notice the stimulus and react, not to choose an appropriate action. If you're 2 car lengths behind and the car in front of you brakes hard, you're going to hit it.
2 seconds behind is 56 metres behind, or 12.5 car lengths. 3 seconds is 18.5 car lengths. Even 0.5 seconds is 3 car lengths. Not enough to safely react to the car in front of you doing something unexpected, but not the tailgating that 2 car lengths implies.
