If you’re like me, you experience a painful amount of traffic on the roads on your daily commute.
One of the most frustrating parts of the commute is the speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down. Brakes. Gas. Brakes. Gas.
When someone ahead of you slams on their brakes, what happens? You slam on yours, the person behind you slams on theirs, etc. The domino effect. A sea of red brake lights.
Everyone stops and everyone has to start back up again. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. It’s torturous.
Have you ever screamed, “JUST GO 20 MPH. EVERYONE JUST GO 20 SO WE CAN ALL KEEP MOVING!”
Here’s something to consider: I believe there are times when taking your foot off the gas is as effective, if not more effective, than applying the brakes as it relates to keeping traffic moving.
This only works, of course, if you aren’t on the tail of the person in front of you and you have maintained a safe distance.
Slowing your vehicle by coasting vs. applying your brakes has the potential to prevent triggering the domino effect — sending a signal to everyone behind you to slam on their brakes too. Everyone keeps moving. And isn’t that what we all want? To keep moving?
This whole concept requires you to be an attentive, defensive driver, something that, alas, is not particularly common these days.
If you ARE an attentive driver, consider this option, safely. Please.
Don’t get sucked in to the start stop trap.
Interested to hear your commuting hacks. Send them in!
People who ride their brakes are such a danger to everyone behind them, especially at highway speeds. I once read about a car from the 1930’s that had both yellow and red tail lights. When you took your foot off the gas the tail lights would turn yellow, alerting the driver behind you that you were slowing down and might be turning or braking soon. It sounds like a great safety feature, it’s a shame it didn’t last.