You’ve been there before: cruising down the freeway care-free until you see a flickering sea of red taillights in the distance. You brake and come to a halt, only able to inch forward for an hour.
Traffic seems to come out of nowhere. If you’re confused, you’re not the first. Read on to learn why traffic happens and small ways you can alleviate congestion.
Causes of Traffic Congestion
First things first, why does traffic even occur? Here are the biggest factors that contribute to those bumper-to-bumper situations:
- Rush hour
- Accidents
- Construction
- Bad weather
These factors cause traffic because they disrupt flow, leading cars to break and start a chain of braking behind them.
Phantom Traffic Jams
Sometimes, there’s no obvious cause for a jam. This is also normal. It can happen if one person brakes unexpectedly, forcing the following cars to also slow down. This creates a domino effect that escalates quickly into a traffic jam.
What You Can Do
You can’t prevent traffic from happening, but you can do your part to avoid and reduce it. Below are some helpful tips.
Avoid Traveling During Peak Times
If it’s possible, the easiest way to avoid traffic is to skip rush hour. For example, if you’re heading to an event that starts at six, leave at two and find something to do in the area to fill your time. You’ll avoid the jam and have another fun experience.
Use Public Transportation
Public transportation gets special privileges on the road, helping you get to where you need to be more quickly. Additionally, buses, trains, and trams can move many people, cutting down on individual car usage and, consequently, traffic congestion.
Carpool and Rideshare
Carpooling and ridesharing are practical ways to reduce the number of cars on the road. Plus, when you share rides, you also cut down on fuel consumption and emissions. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Embrace Technology
You’re undoubtedly familiar with Google Maps, which provides real-time traffic updates and alternative routes to help drivers avoid congested areas.
Autonomous vehicles, which can communicate with each other to maintain steady flow, are another exciting development on the horizon. Until then, advanced driver assistance systems (ADASs) provide similar smart help. Though one of the myths about ADASs is that they solve traffic flow issues, they do help and can prove useful to you.
Understanding why traffic happens and how to alleviate congestion can help you avoid the problem in your own life and take steps to solve it for others. If you do run into a jam again, just be patient—everything is temporary, even the seemingly endless traffic in your way.
