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.
Yeah, maybe I’m fooling myself but it really seems like hanging back more makes me have to do more sudden braking. Traffic seems smoothest when I’m close enough to discourage cut-ins …. Even if that means Im more at the mercy of traffic in front flowing down a bit
But as a corollary, this is one of the reasons fewer lanes are sometimes better. A main road near me proved this out when they cut back from two lanes in each direction to one plus turn lanes. There’s no more jockeying for position, no more cut-in’s and you no longer have to protect your gap. Traffic is smooth and calm, and it improved accident statistics. Most importantly timing to get through that section is consistently better!
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.
Or we could just build trains and other alternatives to cars, which would end up cheaper, faster, safer, environmentally friendly, …but we have big oil.
Nah, cops being on the highway is one of the big causes of traffic. Everyone slows down to the speed limit when they come up on a cop and many are too timid to pass at all. This causes a huge brake wave and fucks everything up. It’s why I don’t think speed limits should even be a thing or should at least be adjusted because most highways are so low that just about everyone ignores them (and is not harmed doing so) until law enforcement appears. If people want to go slower that’s fine but they need to keep right when they aren’t passing and everyone needs to leave plenty of space in front of them so that traffic is permeable enough that people can get to their exit without causing brake waves and absorb the “shock” when it is necessary for someone to hit their brakes.
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.
This is actually an argument for why these features should be mandatory. Traffic is caused by humans and their silly emotions. These types of self driving features with inter-communication would erase traffic jams.
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.
Yeah, maybe I’m fooling myself but it really seems like hanging back more makes me have to do more sudden braking. Traffic seems smoothest when I’m close enough to discourage cut-ins …. Even if that means Im more at the mercy of traffic in front flowing down a bit
But as a corollary, this is one of the reasons fewer lanes are sometimes better. A main road near me proved this out when they cut back from two lanes in each direction to one plus turn lanes. There’s no more jockeying for position, no more cut-in’s and you no longer have to protect your gap. Traffic is smooth and calm, and it improved accident statistics. Most importantly timing to get through that section is consistently better!
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.
Or we could just build trains and other alternatives to cars, which would end up cheaper, faster, safer, environmentally friendly, …but we have big oil.
(Sry, I had to)
This is about 2 decades old now but a bunch of people tried something sorta like a pacing car https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoETMCosULQ
I feel like regular patrol cars might work like this already - who’s going to blow past a cop driving down the road?
me, because i know what speed they’ll pull me over at and if they’re doing 20 under that, who cares
Nah, cops being on the highway is one of the big causes of traffic. Everyone slows down to the speed limit when they come up on a cop and many are too timid to pass at all. This causes a huge brake wave and fucks everything up. It’s why I don’t think speed limits should even be a thing or should at least be adjusted because most highways are so low that just about everyone ignores them (and is not harmed doing so) until law enforcement appears. If people want to go slower that’s fine but they need to keep right when they aren’t passing and everyone needs to leave plenty of space in front of them so that traffic is permeable enough that people can get to their exit without causing brake waves and absorb the “shock” when it is necessary for someone to hit their brakes.
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:
trafficwaves.org
Then leave another gap. There are finite idiots in the world, and you cannot actually go backwards.
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.
This is actually an argument for why these features should be mandatory. Traffic is caused by humans and their silly emotions. These types of self driving features with inter-communication would erase traffic jams.
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.
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.