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A recommended read for anyone who drives.

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KingAdrock
Established Contributor

A recommended read for anyone who drives.

Traffic Waves

 

If everyone read this, stop-and-go would practically be obliterated forever.

Message 1 of 5
4 REPLIES 4
Lel
Moderator Emeritus

Re: A recommended read for anyone who drives.

In junior high many years ago our class learned the wave-like properties of traffic.  I've seen articles about this in Nature.  I find the concept to be pretty fascinating, though I can never grasp the scientific jargon in those articles.
Message 2 of 5
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: A recommended read for anyone who drives.

I started leaving gaps years ago, but it's not so much to help traffic as I dislike hitting my brakes and replacing brake pads all the time! I guess I'll start looking in the rear view mirror to see how I'm affecting traffic. Let's hope this doesn't cause an accident and do more harm than good. haha

Message 3 of 5
KingAdrock
Established Contributor

Re: A recommended read for anyone who drives.


@Anonymous wrote:

I started leaving gaps years ago, but it's not so much to help traffic as I dislike hitting my brakes and replacing brake pads all the time! I guess I'll start looking in the rear view mirror to see how I'm affecting traffic. Let's hope this doesn't cause an accident and do more harm than good. haha


That's better for your gas milage too. Braking is wasted energy. 

 

I found that site years ago, I just happened to think about it the other day. Personally I first learned to drive on a powerboat, not a car; so in many ways I already drove like this. Since boats don't have brakes, mashing the throttle is recipe for disaster,.

Message 4 of 5
MattH
Senior Contributor

Re: A recommended read for anyone who drives.


@KingAdrock wrote:

Traffic Waves

 

If everyone read this, stop-and-go would practically be obliterated forever.


 

Yes!  Where I grew up in the Midwest people drove very very differently from here between NYC and Boston!  The impatient drivers continually frustrate me.  Recently I was stopped on a steep uphill in snow, and could not get traction when the light changed so I put my transmission into reverse.  One car was behind me.  Now, in Wisconsin where I grew up the driver of that car would have realized (1) I was trying to back up to where I could get a running start, (2) I could not back up until he backed up, (3) neither of us was getting out of there until both of us had backed up to where we could get a running start, and (4) it was therefore IN HIS OWN SELF INTEREST to back up.  Instead he honked the horn until I got out of my car and persuaded him to back up by EXPLAINING the situation that his testosterone poisoning was preventing him from comprehending.

 

I can understand -- not condone, but understand -- selfish behavior that benefits the selfish person at the expense of another person.  I can approve but not always understand altruistic behavior that benefits another at the expense of the person doing it.  I have always found it very hard to understand behavior that harms BOTH the person doing it and somebody else (and am really disgusted when I catch myself acting in ways that benefit neither me nor anybody else!).

 

 

Message Edited by MattH on 03-10-2009 10:11 PM
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