That random guy's video on a cloverleaf intersection changed my whole view on traffic

I was one of those people who would sit in traffic and just fume at the person in front of me, thinking they were just slow or on their phone. Then about two weeks ago, a video of this delivery driver from Ohio popped up on my feed just explaining how traffic waves form at onramps. He was just talking to his dashcam, no fancy editing, but he broke down exactly how one person braking hard at 60 mph creates a ripple that lasts for miles. It made me realize I was part of the problem every single day because I was accelerating and braking like a maniac. So now I've been trying to leave a bigger gap on the highway and just coast more, and I swear I'm getting home 5 minutes faster on my route from 7th Street to the warehouse. Has anyone else actually changed a habit from a random dude's video and seen it work in real life?

2 comments

2 Comments

blakem375d ago

Get what you're saying but honestly, I think leaving that gap actually helps because I'm way more relaxed and not slamming my brakes every 10 seconds. I'd rather a couple cars slide in than spend my whole commute stressed out and jerking around.

jamesm485d ago

Not to be that guy, but have you noticed any difference in how often you get cut off or honked at? In my experience, leaving that big gap sometimes just invites people to slide right in, which kind of defeats the whole coasting thing. I tried a similar approach after a trucker's video about merging, and every single time I left room someone would dart into it from the next lane over. Your mileage may vary, but for me it turned into a game of constantly adjusting to people who treat any open space like a personal invitation to cut in line.