cross-posted from: https://feddit.it/post/28637207
Those who use the bike know this very well: in the city, speeding motorists overtaking other cars, only get one thing: they arrive first to the next red.
With a simple model, the author estimated the probability that one car that overtakes another, will then be reached again at a later red light. Then he estimated the probability that the same thing will happen when there are multiple successive traffic lights, as usual in the cities.
The result is that as fast as an aggressive driver goes, the presence of multiple traffic lights makes it virtually certain that a slower driver will catch up
So, if someone aggressively overcomes you, when you reach him at the next traffic light, you can tell him that it is mathematically proven that he/she is an idiot.
In addition, this study has implications for the 30 km/h city, demonstrating how in urban areas the traffic lights determine the travel times, not the maximum speed reachable between one traffic light and the next.
The original scientific article is here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/4/260310/481212/The-Voorhees-law-of-traffic-a-stochastic-model
crossposted from: https://poliversity.it/users/rivoluzioneurbanamobilita/statuses/116419204210303856
Try driving an RV sometime. People have a moral obligation to pass you I guess, because you can be driving warp 8 and people will pass you angrily before slowing down.
I used to drive a full size van. On foggy days I can see better than most other cars due to me being much higher off the ground. A lot of times the person behind me thinks they can go faster because they can see my tail lights.
They will pass me and realize they can’t see ANYTHING and then go much slower than I was when they were behind me.
Same on rainy days. The cars kick up water off the road and make a haze that I sit above in my van. I can see better so I can go faster…until they pass me.