Sometimes, the wreck is hauled off by the time I get to where it happened. You’re left wondering what caused it. Other times, I swear a shiny object off to the side caused the backup. The worst for me is when it is on the other side of a divided expressway and the opposite lanes are backed up too. It doesn’t concern you, stop gawking and drive your d@mn car!
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No debris remaining makes me think that there was no accident. When I said broken parts I included little stuff that always seems to remain.
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Some years ago when the freeway limit changed from 55 to 70, the aggressive enforcement seemed to end. Traffic during rush hour flowed much better without the traffic stops. Pull a car over during rush hour and cars can back up fir miles causing accidents.
Here’s a little science behind the “slinky effect”:
I didn’t read the whole thing, I’ve got work to do between rain drops, but I read enough to know I’m in general agreement. At stop lights and in traffic I anticipate the car in front of me taking off and don’t wait for them to go. Sometimes they are really slow on the uptake and I have to brake again, but I’ve made my point if they check their mirror.
Now, like I said before, during a major bus strike, traffic moved along with few problems. Without those buses slowly moving into traffic, it didn’t slow down. They started pushing them off on the shoulder after that. I’m sure it’s good for the tires. So all you public transport folks, maybe take a fresh look.
The variable speed signs go slower before you hit the congestion. Thus is gives warning about what’s ahead.
I’ll bet it was Popular Mechanix and the author was Tom McCahill. He was about the most popular automotive journalist back then. He had a great way of writing.
Here’s a link about him: hackwriters.com - Golden Age of Magazines
In my opinion and experience it is the slow drivers that are the most harmful!
They cause traffic and accidents. They make people have to weave in and out of their turtle parade! They, while playing with their phones, their make up papers, etc, Their just plain ineptitude to operate a vehicle expertly. They should all for safety, the law and courtesy use and dairy roads and stay in the far right hand lane only. But far too often you have people that should never ever be in any lane other than the right hand lane and the passing only lane.
When someone is going at a speed like they have someplace to be, they are paying full attention to the traffic and what is going on in front and around and behind them. Where as the slow drivers often are messing up they can barely operate the vehicle at all let, alone Pay full attention to what is going on around them and being able to read the situations correctly and safely!
Or they purposefully and rudely, are causing problems for all people around them.
The highway system seems to be a horrible social experiment.
The highways mostly were engineered for speed limits of 2 to 4 times what the posted speed limit is on these highways. Everything is dumb down to the worst vehicle and worst driver. There are far too many people that have drivers license in the United States that should not have them. Requirements to acquire a drivers license in the United States is far too low.
We should do like some of the other countries that have much higher standards of proving your ability to operate the vehicle in all weather conditions, and know how to handle a slide a spin and fish tailing.
People should stay in their lane when turning and NOT cross over into other people’s lanes!
A few days ago, I was driving behind a middle aged guy driving an old Jag sedan. The posted speed is 35, and the prevailing speeds are 40-42 mph. The Jag was moving at 25-26 mph, and he wove all over the road, frequently veering a couple feet into the opposing lane. Thankfully, that rolling road hazard finally turned off.
That guy needs a LOT more than a speed limiter
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The problem is slow drivers and fast drivers sharing the road, not just slow drivers. I was traveling home on an interstate highway going about the speed limit (70) when two cars passed me on either side. They decided to weave in front of me at about the same time. Fortunately, they noticed each other and avoided a crash. As the car in the right lane steered back right, he almost rear ended the car in front of him. He had to brake hard to avoid the collision. The car in front was also going 70. Had that been going much slower, it would have been hit.
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+1
Disparity in speeds is the real problem. If everyone is moving at approximately the same speed–be it 70 or 40, or… whatever–the risk is minimized. When the speed of vehicles on a highway is drastically different, that’s when problems occur.
I completly disagree . The highway and road system has allowed people to travel to places to work that without it they might not have decent jobs . Also public transportation just does not work for everyone . Products and services can reach places in resonable time .
The system is not perfect but it not a social experiment but a nessary part of life.
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Only bad thing is that a car torches wealth more than anything else. I worked as a VP for a mortgage bank from 2003-2023 when I retired.
We did a study about 2010. We were trying to discover where customer money was going since they weren’t paying their mortgages yet they seemed to have adequate income.
Turns out using credit history records that the average American over their lifetime spends as much capital (principal and interest) on their cars as on their homes. About $600k each current dollars. Assumed 2 car family.
But a house retains value and usually when they finally age out and downsize or go into a nursing home they sell for a capital gain.
Their cars rarely have any retained value at that time.
No surprise there.
When I was 20 I thought slow drivers were a problem.
A half century later I think those who haven’t figured out there is no hurry are the problem.
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It only takes one slow driver to creat a problem on single lane roads.
A real problem occurs when slow driver find a teammate on multi lane roads to block normal drivers from passing. I often drive a six lane section of I-95, will get people out there slowing all the lanes down below the speed limit for no legitimate reason.
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That’s true, but one slow driver–in the wrong lane–can also create chaos on expressways. A few years ago, I was cruising along on I-287, at the prevailing speed of 70-72 mph. Suddenly, there was a massive slowdown, complete with a lot of quick lane changes.
It turned out that a very elderly man was driving a new-ish Bentley Continental in the center lane, at 55 mph. The posted speed is 65 mph, so if people like him insist on driving 10 mph below the posted speed, they should have the good sense to stay in the right lane, so that it would be safer for everyone.
I encountered that driving north on I-95 between DC and Baltimore. There was a 4 lane backup. I arrived early enough to see the problem. Several motorcycles were lined up across all lanes. When the crowd was large enough, they took of doing wheelies. When they came down they drove slowly again to build up the audience. I called the state police. The nice lady listened politely and sounded bored. I got off the highway a little early and went a different way home.
Well heck VDC, a fast driver going the wrong way can also cause chaos on the expressways!!!
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself… 
EDIT: nvm, I read that wrong!!!
Okay, by way of clarification, one slow driver who fails to stay in the right lane…