5 ms·

People abuse the gaps in some places.

• lotsofpulp 3y ago
  Also known as using available road capacity.
  • deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  • harkinian 3y ago
    I was thinking about people who squeeze in when you're already at min safe following distance. But also, no it doesn't always help the flow of traffic to follow as close as possible.
    • HPsquared 3y ago
      Smaller gaps means higher throughput, at a given speed.
      • bluGill 3y ago
        At the expense of safety. One of the reasons why cars kill so many people every year.
        • harkinian 3y ago
          It's not just safety. Small-yet-safe gaps exacerbate temporary jams on highways, or possibly even create them.
          • HPsquared 3y ago
            Indeed it's a balance, as in most things. Raw numbers against safety and stability.