How can you be sure the cars behind you aren't even more compressed
Because, uh, you don't drive slow.
You drive at the average speed of traffic. Not slow. To smooth out the traffic waves, you don't come to a halt, and neither do you rush forward. "Average speed:" that's when it's not fast, and also it's not slow.
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Myth: if you have an empty gap, you must be a slow driver!!
Debunked: yes, genuinely slow drivers have big gaps ahead, but those gaps are continuously growing. If a clot of cars is going just 1/2MPH slower than average, then the gap increases rapidly: growing a half mile for each driving hour. If that clot of cars was 5MPH slow, then in just ten minutes the gap would increase by over four thousand ft.
But on the other hand, a constant-sized gap does not decrease your speed. Whether you're 6" from the car ahead, or 6ft, or 600ft, your gap has a constant size, and you're moving at the same speed as traffic ahead.
Slow drivers do make empty gaps, but empty gaps aren't any proof of slow driving.
Heh, so maniacal aggressive tailgating doesn't actually get you to your destination any faster? AMAZING! Who'd have thought!
Comments
Because, uh, you don't drive slow.
You drive at the average speed of traffic. Not slow. To smooth out the traffic waves, you don't come to a halt, and neither do you rush forward. "Average speed:" that's when it's not fast, and also it's not slow.
---
Myth: if you have an empty gap, you must be a slow driver!!
Debunked: yes, genuinely slow drivers have big gaps ahead, but those gaps are continuously growing. If a clot of cars is going just 1/2MPH slower than average, then the gap increases rapidly: growing a half mile for each driving hour. If that clot of cars was 5MPH slow, then in just ten minutes the gap would increase by over four thousand ft.
But on the other hand, a constant-sized gap does not decrease your speed. Whether you're 6" from the car ahead, or 6ft, or 600ft, your gap has a constant size, and you're moving at the same speed as traffic ahead.
Slow drivers do make empty gaps, but empty gaps aren't any proof of slow driving.
Heh, so maniacal aggressive tailgating doesn't actually get you to your destination any faster? AMAZING! Who'd have thought!