Even More Traffic

This is my third installment from a book called "Traffic". Now that I think about it, I should have gone with "A Traffic Jam" as the title. I'll save it for installment four if that happens. That would be a lot, but this book has so much interesting stuff in it - Like the following:

• You would think that if you build more roads, there will be less traffic, as it will be more spread out. No, the opposite happens. If there are more roads, more people drive on them.
• Traffic slows if there is a crash, even if the car(s) are off the roadway. That is at least partly because people slow down to look. And with cell phones it's now even worse, as people have to slow down to get a picture of it. All the cars slowing down by 10 seconds is what causes the 10 minute delay. Move on people. Nothing to see here.
• To try to help the above situation, traffic engineers have countered with "antirubbernecking screens" at crash sites.
• Fifty percent of all crashes in the U.S. takes place at intersections.
• Trying to make things safer seems often to not work. A study showed that adding reflectors on a curve or a sign with an advisory speed causes faster driving than if they weren't there.
• Not paying attention leads to many of the single vehicle crashes. Designers have started to put slight curves in roads even if not needed or occasional rumble strips.
• "Children at Play" signs have not been shown to reduce speeds or accidents.
• Trucks weigh 20 to 30 times as much as a car. When trucks and cars collide, 90% of the time, it is the truck driver who walks away alive.
• To reduce intersection problems, many have been converted to roundabouts. In those conversions, crashes were reduced by 40% and fatal crashes by 90%. Wait, why is that?Roundabout eliminate some of the most problematic features of intersections:
• They eliminate the cross traffic at intersections.
• They eliminate the left turn.
• People often speed up to get through an intersection on a green at a time the should be driving more cautiously.
• Because roundabouts are a little confusing, that causes people to just pay more attention.

There are more interesting traffic facts. A lot more. You can buy the book if you want - Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt.