• phr0g@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I hate it so much when people do that with their cars. It just makes the traffic jam much longer than it needs to be, possibly even extending it over the previous exit. It’s not rational, it’s just plain stupid and annoying.

    • TheWheelMustGoOn@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      Depends. Bigger gaps mean the traffic jam will get better faster since it reduces the stop and go. Ofc the gaps need to be reasonable but the people driving bumper to bumper make it even worse

      • yawn@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        If everyone followed the one rule “keep as much space in front of me to the next car, as there is behind me to the next car, at all times” it would do the most to alleviate most traffic jams.

        • gowan@reddthat.com
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          1 year ago

          That’s a bad idea as heavier cars have longer stopping distances. You should give an 18 wheeler 3-4 times the distance you would an SUV.

          • yawn@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Sure…and if you were the 18 wheeler, you would give the proper stopping distance to the car in front of you, but it would be up to the person behind you to make sure they give you the same birth from behind. If they are on your (the 18 wheelers) ass, they would be causing traffic.

            This isn’t meant to be a license to speed up it someone is riding your ass, it’s a rule that if EVERYONE followed, it would dramatically cut traffic jams.

        • phr0g@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          keep as much space in front of me to the next car, as there is behind me to the next car, at all times

          this is the right way.

          • gowan@reddthat.com
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            1 year ago

            That is not the right way as not all cars have the same stopping distance. Heavier cars need more space to stop

      • glassware@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yeah, it’s really fun trying to “fix” minor traffic jams by holding back a while then moving forward very slowly. If you time it right you never catch up to the car in front, because they reach the front of the queue before you reach them. Then there’s no traffic jam left behind you, because everyone is moving.

    • Defectus@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I’m kinda in between. When the car in front of me drives off and stops I’ll creep slowly with my car 50% of the time I can keep a slow pace without start and stop.

      • phr0g@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That’s not a problem, in fact it even helps the flow. What I meant was when folks keep an excessive distance to the next car, like in the OP (that lady could advance like, 10 places or so, translated into car lengths that would be 50 meters).

        There are people who literally turn off their engine and don’t start it again until they can go for 100 meters or more. This wastes road space and encourages lane-hopping, which also makes the traffic jam worse.