How to Avoid Getting Stuck in a Traffic Jam

When you live in a city or travel to one often, you’re bound to face traffic congestion most of the time. No matter where you drive, nobody wants to be stuck in a traffic jam. These blockages can make you late for a scheduled meeting you may have planned for the day or make it even worse when you’re stuck in emergency situations. That’s why 5-Minute Crafts suggests some tips to keep such traffic holdups at bay.

1. Don’t drive during rush hour.

First things first, when it comes to avoiding congestion, it’s important to prevent driving at predictable times where traffic is bound to be at its peak. Hence, it’s recommended to adjust your schedule a bit to avoid the traffic rush.

2. Make use of alternative routes.

If you use the same lanes to reach your destination every day, you may notice that alternative routes really come in handy at times. This helps you to avoid unexpected situations, like accidents, that may delay your arrival to work. Always keep an eye on Google Maps or the radio to keep yourself informed about traffic updates.

3. Avoid tailgating the vehicles in front of you.

Tailgating occurs when a vehicle is behind another vehicle and there is no sufficient space between the 2. The gap is too close, and because of this, a collision could possibly occur when the car in front applies the brakes. Tailgating slows traffic down by creating pockets of congestion that eventually causes vehicles behind in speed to brake very sharply.

Tailgating can be curbed by keeping a distance of at least 2 or 3 seconds behind the vehicle that is in front of you. This is also called creating a space cushion. It helps you to easily maneuver your ride under any condition.

4. Drive a 2-wheeler instead.

If you’re traveling alone, you can also consider driving a bicycle, bike, or scooter. Driving a car when traveling solo could add more to the current traffic. When driving a 2-wheeler, make sure to ride safely because maneuvering through a traffic jam can be risky at times.

• Some countries pay heed to left-hand driving, while some adhere to the right. It is important to keep yourself in the know with information like this in order to keep any penalties at bay and not add more to the traffic.

5. Keep up with the traffic.

While you want to avoid traffic, it’s equally important that you don’t add more to the jam. So keep an eye on the lights. Don’t miss the signal change by being distracted or talking on the phone until someone honks at you. When you don’t pay attention to the change of signal lights, you tend to cause delays for yourself and others as well.

6. Always pay heed to safe driving techniques.

No matter if there is traffic on the road or not, always practice safe driving techniques. Avoid being the reason for traffic congestion. Don’t slow your car down to check other activity happening on the road, this may slow down the other vehicles behind you. Also, don’t merge into a lane all of a sudden as this may disrupt the traffic flow.

7. Use public transportation.

Using public transportation has a lot of benefits apart from reducing traffic as it saves you money and time, and it also makes you more ecological by not adding more pollution.