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Experiment Shows Traffic 'Shock Waves' Cause Jams
Galactic_grub writes "Japanese researchers recently performed the first experimental demonstration of a phenomenon that causes a busy freeway to inexplicably grind to a halt. A team from Nagoya University in Japan had volunteers drive cars around a small circular track and monitored the way 'shockwaves' — caused when one driver brakes — are sent back to other cars, caused jams to occur. Drivers were asked to travel at 30 kmph but small fluctuations soon appeared, eventually causing several vehicles to stop completely. Understanding the phenomenon could help devise ways to avoid the problem. As one researcher comments: 'If they had set up an experiment with robots driving in a perfect circle, flow breakdown would not have occurred.'"
I have respect for my fellow drivers, and only use the gas pedal. Breaking is for pussies.
Well, it's an understandable mistake. They're, "Breaking" the flow of traffic, after all.
Well there's your problem right there.
You wouldn't have this problem if you wrote your own drivers.
If you can read this, I forgot to post anonymously.
I knew it... I'm surrounded by *ssholes.
Keep braking, *ssholes!
TODO - Insert Creative/Witty Signature
I can't find the reference, but clearly remember reading about the physics of traffic jams 20 years ago.
there are a lot of complex things going on, but two simple principles stand out
when someone ahead of you brakes, you need some time (distance) to react
if you are far enough away, you will slow the same amount as the person ahead of you
if you are to close to the vehicle ahead of you, then your reaction time is such that you will over compensate and over brake; the same to the person behind you and so forth
the trnasition between these two regimes is quite sharp
second, people slow for any distraction - a bright sign, a hill, whatever....
I'm now really tempted to go to Japan. I'm pretty sure I couldn't get that experiment past human subjects review in the U.S.
Dude, don't loose your mind. I was just making a joke up they're. If you come off you're rocker that quickly I wonder what you have up their in your noggin. Sounds like a screw lose or something. I mean I didn't try to effect you in anyway, but now look how you've gone and disrupted the affect the original poster had. Here me out, there are a lot of people that are knew hear. You should calm down than come back later.
(stolen from myself)
Damn you, sir! That post managed to hurt my brain even when I knew it was meant in jest. Grammar... terrible... must... correct...
"Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders what the part that isn't thinking isn't thinking of"-TMBG
I always thought that people who drove aggressively (well) were smoothing out the "shock waves" by avoiding congestion and filling gaps where traffic was too spaced out.
He who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.
Perhaps Slashdot stories have a similar mathematical structure - even the dupes come in waves...
At the bottom of the
Thus, we see the wave propagation in science articles.
I always kinda fantasized about a switch that did the following:
-Activate the brake lights
-Activate a set of hydraulics to boost the read of the car up an inch or two
-Release a little smoke from a point near the rear wheelwells
-Play a loud screeching sound from a loudspeaker mounted under the trunk
Simulated emergency stop! Should give those tailgaters a reason to back off...
=Smidge=
Posting Anon, not losing mod points...
Here is a little trick that I learned a long time ago. To deal with slow drivers in the left lane, is basically giving them a taste of their own medicine. The next time you find yourself stuck behind a slow driver in the left lane, when possible, pass him/her. And position your car just before their car, and drop your speed to an obnoxiously slow speed. Oh, and when they try to ease over to pass you, don't let them. Do it for a few minutes, just so they know how it feels.
It beats road-rage and it could actually make you feel good about yourself, in an asshole-ish kinda way.
I was thinking more along the lines of a depth charge style launcher that would roll a bowling ball out the trunk or tailgate when a button was pushed.
You're using her as bait, Master!
Its always a BMW because they think they own the fucking roads. They also rarely indicate, and if they do it'll be incorrectly.
Mercedes drivers are awful too, but has anyone noticed just how much of a wanker the average Audi driver seems to be these days? Many car buyers are fashion victims, and I think some of the "cooler"[1] BMW drivers are moving to Audis.... I don't think its a co-incidence that the newer Audis look more aggressive than the BMWs.
[1] shallower or wankerer
Car analogies break down.
>> Every time you touch your brake for any reason, God kills a kitten
There... that should have the right effect.