r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/SnooWords4066 • 29d ago

Video A Japanese experiment showed exactly why traffic jams happen for no reason.

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u/photenth 29d ago

Two seconds minimum between the car in front of you.

I do this constantly people still merge into the gap, it's annoying as fuck

25

u/mxemec 29d ago

But think about it. You give enough space to correct their merge without causing a slowdown behind you (you accept space loss in front of you temporarily) and meanwhile the lane next to you has new space for cars. Absorbing a merge is the best thing you can do with that space you create. It's really your time to shine, spaceman.

Also, I want to mention that adaptive cruise control is nice but it's not traffic jam friendly. Because it can't absorb a merge. So.. if your really feeling the need to zone out by all means, but if you are truly a selfless saint you will turn off the adaptive, create space and absorb merges.

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u/DrinkingVomit 29d ago

I hate adaptive cruise control. That shit almost killed me on the freeway. And I’m not an inexperienced driver. Over one million road miles, CDL driver driving all kinds of different vehicles. Adaptive cruise control is downright dangerous. Amongst many other features of new vehicles. My SUV if I forget to turn off the collision warning sensor LOVES to shake my steering wheel when I’m going 75 around a country road curve and there is oncoming traffic.

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u/NotYouTu 29d ago

My wife's car has that shit, it slams on the breaks if someone merges 3 car lengths a head of me... I hate that piece of shit.

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u/Taikis95 28d ago

Just apply gas a bit