揭秘馬路擁堵五大原因

交通越發(fā)達，道路擁堵的現(xiàn)象似乎就越多見。一旦被堵在路上，那種滋味可真是叫天天不應，叫地地不靈。短短半小時的路程也許要花費一個多小時，甚至更長的時間。然而，你可知道，很多交通擁堵其實都是我們自己造成的。比如隨意并道、動不動就剎車、開車時過多關注路旁廣告牌而忽視前方道路等等?；叵胍幌拢@些事兒你都做過嗎?

 

 

Five Weird1 Things You Need to Know About Traffic

By Debra Kelly 韓璐 選 劉宇佳 注

Traffic can be the bane2 of our existence. There’s nothing that will ruin your day faster than being stuck in a traffic jam all morning, and it’s even worse when there’s seemingly no reason for it. There’s a lot of interesting science behind traffic, though, and while understanding it might not make sitting in it any better, it can teach you how to avoid some of the mistakes we all make behind the wheel.3

1. The Way We Merge4 Causes Problems

Whether you’re merging from the left or the right, chances are good that you’re doing it wrong and causing all sorts of problems. When most people see that they need to merge, their first instinct is to do it right away. They brake, slow down, speed up, and change lanes5 in between oncoming traffic. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, that’s completely wrong. Sudden slowing causes traffic to back up, a problem that’s made worse by sudden lane changes and other cars braking to accommodate6 the merging traffic.

So what should you do? Exactly what you probably curse7 drivers for doing: waiting until the last minute. If you do that, traffic will fall into a more natural pattern called a “zipper merge,” meaning there are no surprises, no sudden braking, and a smoother transition from one lane to another, which cuts down on backups.8 This does, of course, rely on other drivers to let you in at the last minute and be courteous9 enough to not cut you off, which causes all sorts of other problems.

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1. weird: 怪異的。

2. bane: 禍害，痛苦之源。

3. 交通背后也有很多有趣的知識。雖然知道這些可能不會使情況有所好轉，但卻能教會你如何避免開車時所犯的種種錯誤。behind the wheel: 在駕駛中。

4. merge: 合并。

5. lane: 車道。

6. accommodate: 適應。

7. curse: 咒罵。

8. 這樣一來，交通就會呈現(xiàn)出一種更加自然、稱為“拉鏈式并道”的模式。也就是說，人們并非突然剎車并道，而是一道道慢慢并過去，這樣就會減少擁堵。zipper: 拉鏈;transition: 過渡;backup: <美>車輛擁堵。

9. courteous: 有禮貌的。