Overtaking and going fast in urban areas is not only dangerous, but also useless: a mathematical demonstration

submitted by HaraldvonBlauzahn to europe 80 points | 12 comments https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/01/traffic-overtaking-slow-cars-catch-up-red-light-driving-research

cross-posted from: feddit.it/post/28637207

Those who use the bike know this very well: in the city, speeding motorists overtaking other cars, only get one thing: they arrive first to the next red.

With a simple model, the author estimated the probability that one car that overtakes another, will then be reached again at a later red light. Then he estimated the probability that the same thing will happen when there are multiple successive traffic lights, as usual in the cities.

The result is that as fast as an aggressive driver goes, the presence of multiple traffic lights makes it virtually certain that a slower driver will catch up

So, if someone aggressively overcomes you, when you reach him at the next traffic light, you can tell him that it is mathematically proven that he/she is an idiot.

In addition, this study has implications for the 30 km/h city, demonstrating how in urban areas the traffic lights determine the travel times , not the maximum speed reachable between one traffic light and the next.

The original scientific article is here: royalsocietypublishing.org/…/The-Voorhees-law-of-…

crossposted from: poliversity.it/users/…/116419204210303856