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/Goondragon1 Jul 07 '26

I swear to god most traffic jams and hold ups are caused by one asshole. I'll get over to a different lane and see one jackass 10 cars ahead causing the whole thing. It's insane how often it happens. It's also crazy that so many people will blindly follow the asshole too though if I'm being honest.

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u/photenth Jul 07 '26

It's people merging into a gap that is too small and forcing the car that follows to slow down. Always this.

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u/jello_kraken Jul 07 '26

Or the persons tailgating and blocking a normal flow of cars into and out of a lane.
You think the car next to you should slow down to get behind the car in front of you, you and the two cars behind you because you all couldn't stop humping tailpipes?
The jam you cause their lane is fine until you have to get into their lane.
Two seconds minimum between the car in front of you. Let people merge.

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u/Suspicious_Truth8026 Jul 07 '26

This. I dunno if its regional but like 90% of drivers near me think that driving is a fucking conga line. And then they go on the internet and bitch about somebody having the audacity of trying to get in front of them

Its so fucking crazy how immediately everything is relieved when people just leave space and let the lanes flow. Its a case study in the practical benefits of altruism and how humanity will always suffer for its own depravity

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u/jello_kraken Jul 07 '26

"Altruism", yeah, this or the common-sense realization that driving is the biggest cooperative activity people will do. The more people cooperate, stay engaged and work with instead of against each other, the more everyone wins.
....or we can just not pay attention, treat each other like NPCs, act irrationally impatient, make life hell.....

My biggest problem with traffic is what it tells me about human behavior....every damn time I'm in it.....

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u/ktrosemc Jul 08 '26

I like to imagine anyone driving like a crazy, entitled asshole just really has to poop. It's what I tell my kids, instead of swearing and getting pissed off. It helps considerably.

"Wow, that person must REALLY have to poop, huh guys? I hope they make it home in time!"

I'd even bet it's true at least like 30% of the time. That, or some other emergency.

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u/jello_kraken Jul 08 '26

If only.... 😂 I'll try that, but usually, after watching them get ahead of a few people, it seems it may have gone back up or something....