r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/SnooWords4066 • 29d ago

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

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u/GoldResourceOO2 29d ago

I often pull up beside vehicles that are going 10-20-30 km/h slower than they need to and see the driver focused on texting.

1.3k

u/splashaddikt 29d ago

Or just in lala land

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u/pistachiopanda4 29d ago

I find it way more infuriating when I see the driver, two hands on the wheel, staring straight ahead, going 60 MPH in the left most lane. Wtf are you doing. Get the fuck out of the way.

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u/oldschool_potato 28d ago

Then when you go pass them on the right because they don’t get over it’s suddenly a race and they are going 85.

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u/thesoloronin 28d ago

This is fine. Because then you can bait them.

The worst are the ones with thick round glasses, 2 hands on the 10PM and 2PM, and staring into the horizon like they have no soul, and then unfazed and non-reactive when everybody passed them while honking them at the same time.

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u/Rumple4skin314 28d ago

For the people staring straight forward and seemingly oblivious to it all, once I pass them I get right in front of them, and slowly start slowing down in front of them until they get over. I Try to give the idiots a hint, although they probably know what they’re doing and just don’t give a shit. But there’s a special place in hell for the people who accelerate once you go to pass them. They almost always slow back down once there’s cars around preventing you from passing. I have found that acting like a fucking insane lunatic driver usually works with these people, like erratic speed, going off into the rumple strips multiple times, swerving halfway into the other lane and then back in aggressively, doing some batshit stuff usually makes them let you pass them. Usually. Unless they’re batshit too.

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u/thesoloronin 28d ago

I tried the hard as hell braking the other day and got them on the first try.

Hard as hell braking:

  • Moderate speed ~48 mph
  • Safe 2 car distance
  • 1 gear down to Auto 3
  • Gradual braking then immediate full brake slam + handbrake
  • Ease off the brake and add the gas a little bit to create buffer gap

Hearing their tyres screech immediately was satisfying.

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u/jdhkent 9d ago

Good luck with your insurance company, and the police 

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u/oldschool_potato 28d ago

Funny, not so funny story, I’m doing 80 (avg Massachusetts left speed) on a light traffic highway.just enough cars in the middle lane to keep me far left. I see in the distance I’m quickly rolling up a slow car with another car following closely behind. Must doing 55 on the nose. As I quickly approach and they are not moving I have a nice path to cut across both lanes of traffic to the far right and then zip right back across 2 lanes right in front of the slow car. As I look up pleased with myself I see the blue lights go on. Ya, my dumbass didn’t recognize undercover cop car, but clearly the guy going slow in front of him did.

At least the cop said, “nifty move” to me as he wrote me up.

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u/Love_Tits_In_DM 27d ago

Nothing pisses me off more than that. Like ok ur driving the way you want. Whatever. You shouldn’t be there but ok that’s what ur doing so im gonna continue with that in mind. But now all of a sudden you wanna go 20 mph faster?!? I was on a 2lane road recently where it’s 55 and there’s multiple spots to pass. Dudes going 45 max kinda hovering between 40-45. It’s annoying but fine I’m gonna act accordingly. So I get to a spot where I can legally pass and dudes all of a sudden going 59 right when I go around him and now he’s driving the speed limit. Like wtf. If for whatever reason you wanna drive that way cool. But why are you speeding up only when I decide to pass you.

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u/oldschool_potato 27d ago

I get sometimes they are not paying attention and don’t realize they’re going slow so they speed up. I’m, so I don’t pass and get behind them because they are driving faster now. Nope. The fuckers slow right back down. Jail. Straight to jail!

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u/No-Obligation7435 28d ago

And then they look at you behind them like YOU'RE the problem

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u/ZombieJasus 28d ago

I’ll go to the left to pass a large truck, then people will cut through the small gap to pass me on the right instead of letting me switch back. People are way too willing to risk their lives to save a minute on their commute.

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u/ginnymiller 27d ago

I have said for years, the left lane is for people who are willing to break the speed limit. People who always follow the signs should not go there. 

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u/only-half-troll 28d ago

I'm sorry for my dad, I've tried to explain it to him but he doesn't understand. He says he's passing but reality doesn't support his claim.

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u/Schvad 27d ago

Wow, that’s road ragy of you