TED-Ed: What is phantom traffic and why is it ruining your life? - Benjamin Seibold

The video explains phantom traffic jams, which occur without obvious causes. These jams are emergent phenomena that can be modeled and understood. They form when traffic density exceeds a critical level, causing small disturbances to amplify. Driver behaviors, such as braking too late or accelerating too quickly, worsen these jams. Self-driving cars could help by maintaining consistent speeds and anticipating traffic waves, potentially reducing jams and their negative impacts on safety, resources, and pollution.

What new insight or understanding did you gain from this video?