Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

"The utility of switching lanes while stuck in traffic"

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7622626

  Counterintuitively, in stop-and-go traffic everybody spends more time
  watching others pass them than passing others.

  Let's say you have to drive 100 km. Half of the distance your lane
  moves at 100 km/h, and the other half your lane creeps along at
  10 km/h. So  you'll spend 50 / 100 + 50 / 10 = 5.5 hours in the
  car, at an average speed of 18.18 km/h.

  For every one minute you spend passing other cars, you'll spend 
  10 minutes watching other cars whiz by you!

  Even though the fast and slow distances are evenly distributed,
  all drivers perceive that they're in the wrong lane.


Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: