Selfish Driving Habits = Traffic Problems

I found this article and modified it for local consumption.
Feel free to copy it and hand it out:

Selfish Driving Habits = Traffic Problems

When someone speeds in traffic, like for example driving 45mph in a 30mph zone, it creates a lot of problems for others who are using or would need to use the same road. It makes it harder for others to access the road, ie. to make a turn onto the road, makes it harder for pedestrians to safely cross the road, and it creates traffic jams. There is an interesting article on standing traffic waves, where someone drives quickly up to the vehicle in front of them, trying to get some headway, then braking or slowing down, making all the other vehicles in succession behind them do the same.

http://amasci.com/amateur/traffic/trafexp.html

It’s always a good idea to drive without changing speed and without competing with other drivers for bits of headway. I’d always assumed that the reasons were philosophical rather than practical (i.e. try to be a calm, nice person.) But previous experiences have shown differently. A single solitary driver, if they stop “competing” and instead adopt some unusual driving habits, can actually wipe away some of the frustrating traffic
patterns on a highway. That “nice” noncompetitive driver can erase traffic waves. I suspect that the opposite is also true: normal competitive behavior CREATES the traffic waves.

http://www.drdriving.org/articles/musings.htm

Suppose we push constantly ahead, change lanes to grab a bit of headway, and always eliminate our forward space in order to prevent other drivers from “cutting us off”. If tiny traffic waves appear, we will rush ahead and then brake hard, leaving larger waves behind us. Repeated action causes the waves to grow huge. Ironic that the angry people who push ahead as fast as possible might unwittingly participate in “amplifying” the very conditions that they hate so much. The solution seems obvious: drivers with a smooth “calm” style will tend to damp out the waves and produce a uniform flow… and the few drivers who intentionally drive at a single constant speed will wipe out the waves entirely.

The way to get rid of traffic jams is to drive at a constant, reasonable speed, and not try to compete with other drivers around you for a little headway. If there is a standing traffic wave in front of you, if you keep a good space between you and the vehicle in front of you, it will eliminate the wave. The traffic is eliminated by anti-traffic. If drivers are driving considerately, at a steady, moderate (legal) speed, then the roads can be used more efficiently by more people and more safely.

Sincerely,
B. Patient