A change of algorithm could eradicate phantom traffic jams

You’re probably familiar with chevrons – those big, v-shaped markings on motorway lanes that are designed to keep drivers a safe distance apart and traffic flowing. But how about an algorithmically-powered chevron system that all-but eliminates phantom traffic jams.
Engineers and mathematicians at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have proposed a new system that could encourage drivers to stop tailgating. They say if an equal distance is kept between cars traveling on motorways then phantom traffic jams would be reduced and people could get to their destination twice as quickly.
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