Traffic Congestion and Applied Traverse Wave Theory

Anyone who lives in a metropolitan area and drives a car has experienced the agony of being stuck in traffic. We just worked 8 hours and we want to get home and have dinner maybe get some chores done and relax. There aren't enough hours in a day to spend 8% of them or more stuck in traffic. The impatience is palpable. So the normal driver performs the same maneuver countless times unthinking of the consequences. You all know the move Brake lights ahead so you stop usually right on the bumper of the car in front of you that car inches up 20 feet and you hit the accelerator and inch up 20 feet and brake again over and over for an hour; all the while thinking how much traffic sucks and I just want to be home already. What if we used science to create a more enjoyable and faster commute.
First let's re-imagine what all the cars are on the road and what the flow of traffic really is. One we have this frame work we can analyze how to optimize driver behavior. Imagine a slinky and stretch the slinky out then fix one end and move the opposite end forwards and backwards along the length of the slinky. If you have ever done this you are looking at a transverse wave. the transverse wave can be described by the frequency this is how quickly the wave travels along the length and also the amplitude or the amount of displacement between nodes. I'm going to use the slinky in respect to traffic from here on. relating your car to the slinky; your car is basically one of the rings on the slinky and the car in front of you the next coil and so on. It is actually a bit more complicated and establishing a frame of reference is a bit tricky. It still makes a good visualization for the problem.
So lets imagine that the slinky instead of being fixed at the end moves forward toward your destination and each node or coil is inputting a driver frequency. now we have an accurate model of how traffic behaves in the real world. what else ca we say about the transverse wave. we know that when one node bumps into the node in front of it it sends a response back in the slinky this is called the reflected wave. Also it can be proven using wave mathematics that frequency inputs can be additive or cancellatory. I believe that a network of autonomous vehicles could utilize the cancellatory effects of the system as a whole, but this is outside the ability of any individual driver at this point. My goal here is to influence the behavior of the average driver today.
So what can we do today to make our commutes less frustrating and save time for everyone. In looking at the model two things any driver can do.

1. increase your following distance. increasing your following distance has a myriad positive effects. In the wave model it increases the distance between the nodes or coils and slows the reflected wave. The secondary effect is that it allows other motorists to change lanes more easily. The inability to change lanes is the primary driver of the stationary node that creates the reflected wave. If you think about it when the car in front of you stops you have to stop and the car behind you has to stop onward down the line. I suggest two car length minimum following distance.
2. Slow your frequency input It doesn't help if you keep following distance if you are rapidly accelerating only to stop two car lengths distance in a short period of time. This requires a bit of concentration and discipline. as you approach the brake lights in front of you you begin to slow sooner and allow the following distance to buffer the reflected wave you never come to a complete stop as the car in front of you begins to move you reestablish the following distance slowly by traveling at a slower speed than the car in front until an appropriate buffer is established then continue at the speed of the car in front to maintain the buffer.

That's it folks that is all you need to do. I have been practicing this technique for many years. Try it for yourself I think you will find your commute less stressful even if it is the same amount of time. I'm not Polyanna that this will solve everything right away there are just plain bad drivers that will ruin this for everyone. Also it takes a bit of concentration and mindfulness on your part to follow these two rules. I know from experience that one driver can make a difference think of it as a good deed to the drivers behind you; Although they might very well not appreciate the favor UGH. Also you will be less stressed, your car will require less maintenance, and if we get enough people on board we all might get home from work just a little bit sooner.