There can also be more serious consequences to staring — for example, take rubbernecking, or slowing down to stare at traffic accidents. This common behavior not only leads to traffic tie-ups, it may cause up to 10 percent of accidents that occur in the opposite direction on the highway
This morning I had an early appointment 30 minutes from my apartment in New Jersey. I gave myself an hour to get there, because traffic can be a little crazy. I wasn't too worried though, I was heading west, away from New York City.
I should have worried. It took me two hours and twenty minutes.
Why did it take so long? There was a terrible accident in the east bound lanes of I-280.
Now, I totally understand why there was a huge backup on that side of the …show more content…
There are so many problems with doing that.
First, it delays everyone, as was evidenced by the seven miles of stopped traffic we sat in to get to the area. Second, slowing can cause more accidents. Like in racing when they say 'cautions breed cautions,' repeated stopping brings on rear end collisions, which then leads to more delays. Thirdly, people in traffic are frustrated. That leads to people cutting others off and yelling. Once the scene of the accident is passed, it also causes everyone that was sitting there for hours to rapidly accelerate and speed to try and make up the time they lost.
Guess what that causes? Yup, more accidents and more delays.
There's a part of the human psyche that, for some reason, wants to see twisted metal and carnage. That's why we rubberneck.
What people don't seem to realize is that rubbernecking will breed even more problems than the accident itself. Unless there is a way for you to stop and help the people in the crash, keep moving. You're only creating more problems down the road. Literally.
The more information we have, the better decisions we make. However, our drive for knowledge can also
have some negative
This morning I had an early appointment 30 minutes from my apartment in New Jersey. I gave myself an hour to get there, because traffic can be a little crazy. I wasn't too worried though, I was heading west, away from New York City.
I should have worried. It took me two hours and twenty minutes.
Why did it take so long? There was a terrible accident in the east bound lanes of I-280.
Now, I totally understand why there was a huge backup on that side of the …show more content…
There are so many problems with doing that.
First, it delays everyone, as was evidenced by the seven miles of stopped traffic we sat in to get to the area. Second, slowing can cause more accidents. Like in racing when they say 'cautions breed cautions,' repeated stopping brings on rear end collisions, which then leads to more delays. Thirdly, people in traffic are frustrated. That leads to people cutting others off and yelling. Once the scene of the accident is passed, it also causes everyone that was sitting there for hours to rapidly accelerate and speed to try and make up the time they lost.
Guess what that causes? Yup, more accidents and more delays.
There's a part of the human psyche that, for some reason, wants to see twisted metal and carnage. That's why we rubberneck.
What people don't seem to realize is that rubbernecking will breed even more problems than the accident itself. Unless there is a way for you to stop and help the people in the crash, keep moving. You're only creating more problems down the road. Literally.
The more information we have, the better decisions we make. However, our drive for knowledge can also
have some negative