The Science of Traffic Patterns

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Do you dread roundabouts? Especially multi-lane roundabouts? And do you get annoyed when there’s a lane closure ahead and someone seemingly waits until the last minute to merge? What about those new diverging diamond interchanges? They seem confusing on the surface.

Many drivers fear these traffic patterns because most were not taught to drive this way. Roundabouts and diverging diamond interchanges are fairly new in the United States, and while they greatly improve traffic flow, many people don’t know how to drive through them. Once they learn, they worry that other drivers in the same flow don’t yet know what they’re doing and could cause an accident.

Be the Roundabout
Roundabouts incite anxiety in many drivers because they aren’t sure what to do, or aren’t sure if others do, so they are afraid of having an accident. They feel stop signs and stop lights are much more straightforward. However, studies have shown that roundabouts actually reduce injury crashes by 72-80% and all other crashes by 35-47%. They also keep traffic moving, causing fewer delays.

Do the Zipper Merge!
No, it’s not the latest dance craze. A zipper merge occurs when a lane is closed due to construction, and motorists use both lanes of traffic until reaching the merge area, then take turns moving into the open lane. Most of the time, signs are posted well in advance of the closed lane, so drivers have plenty of time to get over, so drivers who wait until the last minute (zipper merging) are seen as rude. Some drivers won’t do it for the same reason. In reality, when drivers use the zipper merge method it helps maintain the speed of traffic and they can merge safely. It does seem counterintuitive, but when all drivers are on board, it works. The downside to zipper merging is most drivers don’t see it as more efficient. Instead, they think it’s rude and sometimes it incites road rage. Education is key.

Diverging Diamonds—A Driver’s Best Friend?
Diverging diamond interchanges are another new traffic flow designed to make driving through an intersection more efficient. They allow drivers to turn left by directing traffic to cross over to the other side of the interchange and then cross back before leaving the interchange. From an aerial view, it looks like an infinity symbol. For a while, it looks like you are driving on the wrong side of the road, which is scary for any driver! But they are designed to prevent drivers from crossing paths with other drivers. This means fewer accidents, a reduction in entering ramps going the wrong way and better sight distance at turns.

Change can be difficult, and some of these traffic patterns seem almost scary, but signs make them easy to use and when they are used properly, they make traffic move along more efficiently.

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