Technology Could Help Prevent So-Called 'Phantom Traffic Jams'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Have you ever been stuck in traffic and wondered: What's going on? Why are we slowing down?
That's called a phantom traffic jam, which happen when drivers hit the brakes for no good reason. But as CBS2's Dave Carlin reports, technology could change that to keep us moving.
"Why are we in a traffic jam?" one driver said.
"Sometimes there's no reason," said another.
"Traffic jams for no reason, absolutely, especially in New York City," another woman added.
Phantom traffic jams are not caused by a wreck or road repairs, but by humans being human. A little distraction causes a lot of misery.
"When traffic gets dense enough, if one driver makes a small mistake, the driver behind them -- by the time they recognize that mistake -- has to over correct or overreact, and that amplification gets passed on to the driver behind him," said Dan Work, a civil engineer.
Work headed a research team at Vanderbilt University. Their research, funded by the National Science Foundation, concluded phantom jams can be prevented. The group found success through technology.
"You already have automated technologies on your vehicles today," said Work.
He said a car's adaptive cruise control, when given information about the vehicles in front and behind, allows the car to react right and better than us.
"They were able to mitigate the impacts of these phantom traffic jams better than human drivers were. So that shows that the technologies on the cars today may already start to help eliminate these phantom traffic jams," said Work.
The study used a course with driver-controlled vehicles and self-driving models.
The Vanderbilt researchers said having a single self-driving car on a road, reduces congestion by being a good influence on at least 20 human-controlled cars in the same area.
They said because humans will never be perfect drivers, better technology could bring us closer to commutes that don't drive us crazy.
The researchers also warned self-driving cars are not necessarily the best tools to reduce traffic congestion. They said it is better to convince more people to walk, bike and use mass transit.