NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Bumper-to-bumper traffic is a regular occurrence for holiday travelers. However, researchers with Vanderbilt University hope findings from a large traffic study can help.
Nationwide, AAA predicted roughly 80 million people are expected to travel for Thanksgiving. Nearly 2 million Tennesseans are projected to travel more than 50 miles to celebrate the holiday, according to Tennessee AAA. That's an all-time high for Thanksgiving and more than 30,000 more over last year.
Researchers with Vanderbilt University studied what they called "phantom traffic jams" or slowdowns that happen for no clear reason, for two years. They studied Interstate 24 from south Nashville.
Project leaders told News 2 as you hit the road for Thanksgiving, there are steps you can take to avoid unnecessary jams.
Vanderbilt University researchers Dan Work and Jonathan Sprinkle have led the world’s largest open-traffic experiment to examine these “phantom traffic jams” and have the following advice:
- Average and steady wins the race: You don’t have to be slow and steady – just steady. Driving at a steady, legal speed will get you where you need to go without creating a problem for other drivers on the road.
- Speeding up will slow you down: Everyone’s in a hurry but speeding up to get right behind the car in front of you will only lead to hitting the breaks. Keeping your wheels rolling and keeping a distance will allow you and the cars behind you to avoid a stop-and-go commute.
- Think about your bank account: Don’t focus on how fast you can get there – think about how much money you can save. Avoiding a speed up-slow down pattern can also reduce fuel costs and improve emissions.
"Especially during the holiday time, it will be different than our normal daily drive," Sprinkle said. "We may seem like we're falling behind traffic at some point, and then only maybe 20 or 30 seconds later, end up pulling behind a vehicle that had just recently passed us."
Another tip based on the study findings is to make the most of adaptive cruise control.
Researchers added that using this feature could help safely regulate traffic patterns.
