If you've ever been in a traffic jam only to realize there was no accident in the road or any type of incident at all, then you've experienced a phantom traffic jam.
#NOW on @kgun9, Phantom Traffic Jams, what they are & what’s being done to avoid them. pic.twitter.com/VUQTpHkBWl
— Veronica Acosta (@VeronicacostaTV) July 18, 2018
Phantom traffic jams are caused when the person in front of you brakes, causing you to brake, and ultimately causing everyone behind you to brake when there is no substantial reason for doing so.
Ford says they recently accidentally found a solution to the problem. They began implementing adaptive cruise control into their vehicles, adding that if all vehicles are going at the same speed, the same distance from each other then the problem would be fixed.
The City of Peoria is also doing their part in putting an end to phantom traffic jams by implementing their own technology.
Traffic signals along Bell Rd. in Peoria are equipped with the technology that recognizes when a large amount of vehicles are headed toward it to be able to change to green.
As for the Arizona Department of Transportation, when asked whether they planned implementing similar technology, they said they could not comment on it.
