A new study by L. Craig Davis, a physicist at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, has revealed shocking news: Most drivers are idiots, and these idiots are the cause of most traffic jams.
NO! I never would have guessed! I thought the oh-so-hard written exam for a temporary license would have weeded them out.
According to the “mad” scientist, drivers have a tendency to “over-brake,” creating a wave of jam-packed cars — and causing a domino effect of drivers hitting their brakes for no apparent reason, sometimes for hours after the initial car braked.
According to Davis, roughly 75 percent of traffic jams occur like this, having no visible cause.
The study also shows that if one out of every five cars used adaptive cruise control (ACC), which adapts instantly to the speed of the car in front without the delay of human reaction time, traffic jams would be eliminated. In addition, the study reveals that not even 20 percent of drivers are remotely competent.
So let me get this straight, most drivers are incompetent and computers could to a better job driving than them? Next you’ll try to convince me that computers can solve long, complicated math problems faster than humans …
Seriously though, are we sure Davis is a physicist and not a rocket scientist?
The only part of his findings that I don’t get is how he convinced a university to fund experiments that prove common sense. Hey University of Michigan, give me $50,000 and I’ll do revolutionary experiments that prove … the sky … is … BLUE!
Honestly, a university gave him money to perform studies and that’s the best he could come up with — most traffic jams are caused by human stupidity? And his solution is to require more drivers to get adaptive cruise control, which is already standard on some luxury vehicles?
Hey Davis, do you know what “luxury” vehicle means? It means everyone can’t afford it because it’s expensive.
I’m sure people would love to have more money so they could buy ACC and prevent traffic jams, but if the masses could afford it, it wouldn’t be a luxury, now would it?
Writer Liz Blickle is an intern for BodyShop Business. She’s in favor of implementing IQ testing for potential drivers — which would weed out the morons, give public transportation a boost and eliminate the need for adaptive cruise control altogether.
