Here’s how to avoid “phantom traffic jams” this holiday travel season

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Rush hour traffic is a regular occurrence for leisure travelers, but researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville hope the results of a major traffic study can help alleviate some of that congestion.

Nationally, AAA has already predicted that about 80 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles for their Thanksgiving celebrations this year. A record 71.7 million are traveling by car, AAA predicts, creating potential traffic congestion across the country.

One type of traffic jam—the “phantom traffic jam”—was of particular interest to researchers at Vanderbilt. This type of traffic jam is characterized by slowdowns or queues that appear to occur for no apparent reason.

But after a two-year study of Interstate 24 (which runs directly through Nashville), researchers Dan Work and Jonathan Sprinkle of Vanderbilt University said their team put together several steps to help drivers avoid — or at least not to contribute to it.

• Average and stable wins the race: You don’t have to be slow and steady – just steady. Driving at a consistent, legal speed will help you get to your destination without causing trouble for other drivers on the road.
• As you get faster, you get slower: Everyone is in a hurry, but accelerating to get right behind the car in front of you will only result in you slamming on the brakes. Keeping your wheels turning and maintaining a safe distance from the cars in front of you can help you (and the cars behind you) avoid a stop-and-go commute.
• Think about your bank account: Don’t focus on how quickly you can get there; Think about how much money you can save. Avoiding a speed-up-deceleration pattern can also reduce fuel costs and improve emissions.

“Especially during the holidays, it will be different than our normal daily commute,” Sprinkle said. “At some point it feels like we’re falling behind traffic and then, maybe 20 or 30 seconds later, we end up behind a vehicle that has just passed us.”

Another tip from the study results is to make optimal use of the adaptive cruise control.
The researchers added that using this feature could help regulate traffic patterns safely.

AAA had previously predicted that the worst travel days of the Thanksgiving long weekend would be the Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons before the holiday, citing traffic forecasts from INRIX. The best time to travel, on the other hand, is Thanksgiving Day itself, “when highways and interstates are typically clear,” AAA said.

“Drivers returning home on Sunday should leave early in the morning and those returning on Monday should expect a mix of travelers and commuters on the road,” the organization added.