Voorhees Law: Why Passing Slowpokes Won't Save Time

0:00On March 31st, ever notice how you pass a slow pulled driver only to end up right next to them at the next red light? A researcher from Dublin City University, Dr. Connor Bowlin, crunched the math on this and named it the Voorhees Law of Traffic after that unstoppable. Jason from Friday the 13th movies. He modeled two cars on a single lane, one faster with a head start, hitting a time traffic light cycle. Turns out, the odds of the gap growing, shrinking, or staying put balance out perfectly on average, so the spacing between them doesn't really change. After the light, we humans fixate on those catch up moments because they stick out, especially after you try to pull away. It's like our brains hype up the rare reunions, making it feel way more common than it is. But stack multiple lights in a row, like in a city, and math flips the script. The chance the slow car never catches up shrinks to near zero, since each light multiplies the odds against escape. Experts like Kit Yates from the University of Bath say the model simplified, but spot

1:02on for explaining this road quirk, reminding us speeding past. Folks doesn't buy you real time or safety on the journey ahead.