{"id":84771,"date":"2023-06-01T03:11:18","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T10:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogv2prod.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=84771"},"modified":"2023-10-13T21:11:44","modified_gmt":"2023-10-14T04:11:44","slug":"how-does-traffic-start-the-7-root-causes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/how-does-traffic-start-the-7-root-causes\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does Traffic Start? The 7 Root Causes"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><style>.kadence-column_78c011-67 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_78c011-67 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_78c011-67 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_78c011-67 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_78c011-67 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_78c011-67 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_78c011-67 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_78c011-67{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_78c011-67 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_78c011-67 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_78c011-67 qk-look-widget\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-row ultp-block-9dd3ef  qk-main-wrap\"><div class=\"ultp-row-wrapper\"><div class=\"ultp-row-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-column ultp-block-4899f8\"><div class=\"ultp-column-wrapper\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_914e37-d0, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_914e37-d0[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_914e37-d0\"]{text-align:center;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_914e37-d0 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_914e37-d0[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_914e37-d0\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-family:Inter;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_914e37-d0 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_914e37-d0[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_914e37-d0\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"kt-adv-heading_914e37-d0 summary-title wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_914e37-d0\"><span>Summary<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The main causes of traffic jams include traffic incidents, road construction and maintenance, high traffic volume, and adverse weather conditions.<\/li><li>Sometimes, traffic can also be caused by special occasions like parades and motorcades. Vehicles that make sudden lane changes can also create a ripple effect on the highway that causes a mini traffic jam.<\/li><li>To avoid traffic jams, you can make use of location and pathfinding apps to find out the route with the least amount of traffic. You can play your part in lessening traffic through commuting, walking, or biking to nearby locations instead.<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Traffic is the bane of every driver on the road. It can turn what should have been a twenty-minute drive into a two-hour slog through the smog and mire accompanied by beeping horns and blinking brake lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But how does a traffic jam start, and is there any way to avoid it? Here are the seven root causes of traffic jams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7 Root Causes of Traffic Jams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Traffic Incidents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Traffic incidents include roadside accidents, breakdowns, and other events that disrupt the regular flow of traffic. Oddly enough, this can include incidents that happen away from the road entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Studies have shown that human behavior causes us to slow down and observe incidents outside our lanes out of curiosity. If you&rsquo;ve ever slowed down to catch a glimpse of a crash site that wasn&rsquo;t even in your lane, you&rsquo;ve definitely experienced this. This tendency to slow down builds up along the rest of the road as more cars approach the area. The longer the disturbance continues and the more cars are on the road, the higher its likelihood of causing a traffic jam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/interstate-road-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"interstate with few cars driving\" class=\"wp-image-84780\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/interstate-road-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/interstate-road-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/interstate-road-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/interstate-road-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/interstate-road.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption>To avoid traffic jams, you should train yourself to drive at a consistent speed with a good amount of distance between you and vehicles in front of and behind you.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Work Zones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Work zones include construction and repair zones along the road. These areas can lead to certain lanes or routes being closed. Besides reducing the space for vehicles, work zones also force you to do more stop-and-go driving. These include lane mergers and shifts. These small pauses will again add up over the hundreds of cars passing the same stretch of road, leading to mass slowdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Weather<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When the rain starts pouring down and you decide to slow down to navigate the road better, you can see weather causing traffic in real time. All the other drivers in your vicinity will likely make similar decisions, showing just how effective weather is at starting a traffic jam. Whether it&rsquo;s icy roads or thick fog, you&rsquo;ll naturally want to take it slow to avoid accidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Demand Fluctuations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Monday morning traffic is a perfect example of a traffic demand fluctuation. These fluctuations happen when the number of vehicles on the road goes beyond what the road usually handles. Work zones and special events sometimes cause fluctuations in smaller roads as well. Both these causes shift vehicles onto roads that aren&rsquo;t usually utilized as heavily as main roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Special Events<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Special events such as parades or presidential motorcades can be fun for you to watch, but they can also cause a lot of traffic. These events block off certain roads, forcing vehicles to use other streets and avenues that aren&rsquo;t used to the traffic. This can cause surges in these areas, overwhelming the systems in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Traffic Control Devices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/all-about-traffic-lights-traffic-light-size-weight-and-more\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Traffic lights\">Traffic lights<\/a>, railway crossings, and signages are just some of the traffic control devices you can observe. These are made to mediate and help the flow of traffic, but when one of these devices is poorly timed or placed, they can cause a lot more harm than good. For instance, a stoplight with a long green light for a low-traffic lane can cause traffic to form on heavier lanes that don&rsquo;t have enough time to empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"article-search-widget\">\n<div class=\"cp-search\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/w_auto,dpr_auto\/carparts\/logos\/badge_wordmark\/full_color\/CP_LOGO_COLOUR_RGB\" alt=\"CarParts.com\" width=\"300\" height=\"56\">\n<\/div>\n<form id=\"cpsearchform\" name=\"cpsearchform\" action=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/search\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\" accept-charset=\"character_set\" aria-label=\"search CarParts.com\">\n    <input type=\"text\" class=\"keyword\" name=\"q\" placeholder=\"Search for parts on CarParts.com\" value=\"\" aria-label=\"Search CarParts.com\"><input type=\"submit\" class=\"btn-search\" value=\"Search\" aria-label=\"Search\">\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bottlenecks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Bottlenecks are areas on the road that restrict the flow of traffic. This often happens because the road has reached its capacity, with more vehicles than it can handle. There are two types of bottlenecks to look out for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Physical Bottlenecks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Physical bottlenecks are areas like mergers, toll booths, and roadway alignments. When combined with other traffic jam causes, physical bottlenecks can also include open highways blocked up by traffic or other areas that wouldn&rsquo;t automatically be considered part of this section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behavioral Bottlenecks<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly enough, drivers like you can also cause bottlenecks through the sheer force of natural behavior. For instance, studies show that driving at constant speeds with some distance between vehicles is the best way to avoid traffic perturbations. These are small but sudden braking or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/tips-when-driving-on-a-multilane-street-with-two-way-traffic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"lane changes\">lane changes<\/a> that cause other vehicles to slow down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, drivers tend to tailgate anyway, and they have a difficult time sticking to a single speed with other drivers around. This tailgating results in the buildup of traffic perturbations, which can lead to a phantom traffic jam. Phantom traffic jams happen on the open road with no visible causes like weather or work zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lane mergers are another example. Although merging one side at a time like a zipper is the most efficient way to merge lanes into an exit, most drivers will ignore this and line up on whatever side the exit is on without a second thought. Actions like these are what cause behavioral bottlenecks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/merging-lane-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"cars stuck on a merging lane\" class=\"wp-image-84781\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/merging-lane-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/merging-lane-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/merging-lane-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/merging-lane-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/merging-lane-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/merging-lane-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/merging-lane.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption>Physical bottlenecks like mergers, toll booths, and roadway alignments can sometimes cause traffic jams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Avoid Traffic Jams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you know the answer to the question &ldquo;how does traffic even start,&rdquo; it&rsquo;s time to learn how to avoid it if you can. While engineers work on minimizing traffic jams with self-driving cars, you can work on decreasing traffic by increasing your awareness of behavioral bottlenecks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ideally, you should train yourself to drive at a consistent speed with a good amount of distance between you and vehicles in front of and behind you. This will help prevent traffic perturbations by letting you wait out more minor stops and bumps from cars in front of you while moving. It&rsquo;ll also keep your minor stops and bumps from affecting the car behind you. As a result, Other cars won&rsquo;t be roped into stop-and-go driving, keeping traffic from building up along the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also make use of location and pathfinding apps to find out the best route with the least amount of traffic during rush hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, try to commute more or walk\/bike when you need to go somewhere local. If everyone did this, traffic would be less heavy.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>Traffic is the bane of every driver on the road. It can turn what should have been a twenty-minute drive&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/how-does-traffic-start-the-7-root-causes\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":84779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3767,3950],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[2607,3269],"class_list":{"0":"post-84771","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-driving","8":"category-for-the-car-owner","9":"entry"},"acf":{"adrotate_specific_mobile_ad":"","adrotate_specific_desktop_ad":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Does Traffic Start? 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