Yes individuals slow down, but it prevents the "traffic jam waves" you see with humans. Essentially each individual ant is going slightly slower so that the ave

Yes individuals slow down, but it prevents the "traffic jam waves" you see with humans. Essentially each individual ant is going slightly slower so that the average throughput stays the same. You know how in traffic jams everyone is breaking, then speeding up - just to slam their breaks again? Ants prevent the breaks part by moving slower in the first place, which improves the traffic flow.