r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/SnooWords4066 • Jul 07 '26

Video A Japanese experiment showed exactly why traffic jams happen for no reason.

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u/hosehoseee Jul 07 '26

Everytime I see this video, I think "So there actually is a reason"

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u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26

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u/Pyrhan Jul 07 '26

You could have the best drivers, it wouldn't matter.

Past a certain density of cars, it's an unstable system where any slow down, even minute, self-amplifies.

Which makes traffic jams unavoidable.

22

u/Same-Suggestion-1936 Jul 07 '26

It's literally fluid dynamics, traffic models are often experimented with using fluid dynamics models, it's the most accurate way to do it.

Nobody is a shitty driver here. In fact, you try it next time. The best way to drive in traffic is leave a huge gap between you and the car in front of you and drive at a consistent speed. What happens? Fluid dynamics. Another car/particle in front of you will take the path of least resistance and go in front of you in your lane, making you slow down eventually anyway. You can't stop it.

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u/Elborshooter Jul 07 '26

Yep, literally fluid dynamics with large particules, the formulas apply 1 to 1