When unexplained traffic jams happen, says an MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) study, you can probably blame tailgaters. The researchers say that if drivers kept an even distance between cars rather than driving too close to the vehicle in front, traffic flow would remain even. This "bilateral control," could double the speed of the average vehicle on busy highways.
...
This ideal is very different from what is the norm in most thinking about traffic, especially by those stuck in it. Drivers (and, consequently, vehicle control systems) tend to be looking ever forward, responding only to what's ahead and largely ignoring what's behind. Thus, in stop-and-go or slow-and-go situations (traffic jams), each vehicle reacts to the vehicle in front, causing intermittent slowdowns or stops (jams) in wave-like patterns. When vehicles are working to maintain equal distances both from the car in front and the vehicle behind, the MIT paper contends, these wave patterns are minimized and traffic flows more smoothly.
Maintaining even spacing facilitates lane changes and merges as well.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by bob_super on Friday December 15 2017, @10:32PM (9 children)
Automatic drivers hit the brakes to modulate their speed, which causes everyone behind them to react excessively (because brake lights are ON/OFF, not telling you how much braking is applied).
If you downshift/clutch to slow down just a bit, the people three cars behind you don't drop their phones into their coffee to hit the brakes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 15 2017, @11:12PM
Don't even need to down shift. If you maintain a decent distance in front, just pulling the foot off gas slows down sufficiently due to the engine brake effect.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 16 2017, @12:16AM
You say that like it's undesirable. If you had a device that caused that at the push of a button I'd be throwing money at you.
(Score: 5, Informative) by TheGratefulNet on Saturday December 16 2017, @02:35AM (1 child)
and for the younger players out there, a trick to get people to stop following you closely from behind (during daytime) is to NOT hit your brakes, but instead, put on the headlights! yeah, the rear lights come on, also, and while not as bright as a brake-pedal bright, its a change from total off to non-off. that usually fools the driver behind you and he'll slow down and maybe learn not to drive so closely next time.
(you're welcome)
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2) by Mykl on Monday December 18 2017, @02:10AM
Another thing you can do is to keep your foot on the accelerator, and quickly but firmly tap on the brake with your other foot. It has the effect of lurching you backward a little, but maintaining your speed. Frightens the hell out of tailgaters.
(Score: 2) by jdavidb on Saturday December 16 2017, @04:21AM (2 children)
I simply take my foot off the accelerator when possible.
ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 16 2017, @03:00PM (1 child)
As does anybody else with any sense. Controlling the speed of a car is about both the brake and the accelerator. I'm not sure where people got the idea that they had to always have their foot on one or the other.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Sunday December 17 2017, @08:02AM
Auto trans cars do coast a lot when you don't touch the pedals. Manuals slow down.
A modern 2-ton view-blocking auto-trans monster is also likely driven by someone who doesn't optimize their traffic-jam speed...
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Tuesday December 19 2017, @08:11PM (1 child)
If the guy behind wasn't tailgating, they wouldn't need to react excessively, but I'm guessing you're speaking from personal experience as a chronic tailgater?
When the guy in front of me brakes, I take my foot off the gas and then rest my foot on the brake, slowly depressing it over a period of ~5 seconds as the situation demands. I have that much time available because I'm not tailgating.
Even if the guy in front slams the brakes, I still have ~3 seconds to brake and/or change lanes as appropriate.
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday December 19 2017, @11:39PM
That was a stupid comment, and you should earn a downmod.
If you spent a bit of time in traffic jams, you would notice that people overreact and slam their brakes. It's exacerbated by cars blocking the view in front, and drivers being distracted (kids, phone, food)...
In fact, if people didn't overreact, you wouldn't have to stop, because nobody would reach a speed of 0 absent an actual obstacle. I've voiced multiple times my desire to heavily fine the first car to hit a complete stop, for they are the problem.
I've managed, courtesy of a clutch, many miles crawling through LA jams without hitting the brakes nor ever coming to a complete stop. You can only do that if you pay attention to all other drivers' behaviors, and definitely not if you tailgate.
But thanks for posting a dumb remark on a 4 day-old thread, dumbass. I'm glad your area's traffic allows you three or five seconds actions without getting cut off. Around here, I just get honked at, until the tailgater sometimes realizes I'm going as fast as traffic will allow, on average.