It may not seem like it, but there are some pretty cool things you can learn about traffic and cars in general despite the average daily traffic rate of 32,000 vehicles.
For example, the first ever road trip happened in Germany in 1888, yet the act is now considered to be an American pastime. If you’re interested and want to learn more about the most common type of transportation in the US, keep reading on.
Phantom Jams
No one is going to argue with you when you say that traffic jams are awful. However, most have a cause, like construction or an accident. The really annoying ones are called phantom jams for one reason: they have no lasting cause.
You may need to slow down a touch when you’re driving on the highway for any number of reasons. If this happens on a busy highway, though, a small scale butterfly effect kicks into full gear. You only had to slow down just a bit, but the car behind you needs to slow down more. This chain continues until cars eventually have to fully stop to prevent crashes. Once it reaches this state, it goes from a mild speed change to a full blown traffic jam as cars stop for seemingly no reason.
The weirdest part about phantom jams is that they can resolve decently quickly: the chain will eventually fix itself or end and traffic will continue to flow naturally again. There is a way to at least minimize the impact of a phantom jam, though it could also just stop it completely: staying a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of you will give you the time you need to safely slow down and may prevent you from needing to come to a full stop. Bear in mind, though, that you may still end up needing to completely stop if you’re too far down the chain.
Car Color
The most dangerous car color has been a widely debated topic for decades at this point. Many people point to vehicles with black or red paint jobs while others complain about white cars. Even scientists and insurance companies have weighed in, performing studies and adjusting insurance premiums based on a car’s color. Despite these studies, we’ve yet to settle on a consensus as to which car color would be avoided or if this whole argument even really matters.
It’s up to you to decide what you believe, but there are a few factors that can make you more likely to end up in an accident. For example, driving a dark colored vehicle late at night could cause someone to collide with you because they misjudged the size of your car.
Driving a gray vehicle in cities or other gray and dull areas could be risky as well. Even if you don;t necessarily believe in the dangers of certain car colors, be aware that others might and it may affect their behavior or pricing.
Traffic Jam Expenses
Nothing ruins a morning commute quite like a good old-fashioned traffic jam. What’s really interesting about them, though, aside from the existence of phantom jams, is their cost. The most obvious cost is time; the longer you sit stuck in traffic, the longer it takes you to get somewhere and the later you’ll be. This is definitely the most important cost, but it’s far from the only one.
You will also lose money. See, you’ll have the car running for the entire duration of the jam in hopes of quickly exiting it, and this wastes fuel as you end up sitting idly for anywhere between a few minutes to even over an hour, and gas is expensive.
Of course, leaving your car idly running like this can also cause wear and tear on the engine as well. This means you may find yourself at the mechanic’s more often for simple repairs and tune-ups, which can also be expensive since we all know there’s never just one thing that needs to be repaired on a car; mechanics always find at least one more problem.
First American Cross Country Road Trip
The first road trip happened in Germany in 1888, but that doesn’t make the first American cross country road trip any less impressive, especially when taking the obstacles into account. Vehicles were still new at the time so driving experience was limited and so were roads. Even worse was that the man who took the bet that he could make such a trip didn’t even have a car at the time.
Luckily, he met a mechanic who not only helped him pick out the right vehicle but was also more than willing to take the trip with him, and the rest is history. It’s strange to think that the idea of a road trip, which is considered to be a very American thing to do, became so popular because someone made a $50 bet.
Many Accidents Can Be Avoided
A mind boggling number of car accidents can be completely avoided if drivers would just stay calm and pay attention to the road. Road rage is incredibly common and is only getting worse as traffic also gets worse. Traffic being worse also makes people rush so they get to work, a lunch date or anywhere else without being late leading to more accidents. All of these can be avoided, though.
If you see someone road raging, don’t make eye contact and call the police. They will handle the situation. Call ahead to your boss or the people you’re meeting up with and warn them that you may be late because of traffic. The biggest thing you can do to avoid an accident, though, is to stay calm and pay attention.
Acknowledge your anger and frustration when it arises and take a few deep breaths; keep your eyes on the road so you can react as quickly as possible when something does go wrong; and, of course, plan your route ahead. Try to avoid busy roads when possible and you may be able to avoid traffic altogether.
