You want to be able to drive comfortably in the car. What could be more annoying than getting stuck in a traffic jam? With these tips you will lose less time due to a traffic jam.
It is easier to stop in traffic on a busier road. In fact, a traffic jam is often a waste of time. How do you lose less time due to a traffic jam? AutoWeek gives you tips.
Don’t go by car
It may seem obvious and contradictory for us as a car site, but one way to avoid traffic jams is not to go by car.
- For shorter distances, for example up to ten kilometers or if you have to go through a busy city even up to twenty kilometers, the bicycle or e-bike can be a good alternative. If shared scooters are available where you live, you could take those too.
- You can also opt for public transport. But then you come less naturally from door to door.
- Working from home is also possible in many cases. Then you don’t have to go into traffic at all.
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Avoid rush hours
The busiest times in traffic are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Choose those days for working from home if you don’t want to be stuck in traffic. Peak times are on weekdays between 07:00 and 09:30, in the afternoon between 15:30 and 19:00. On Friday afternoon, the rush hour often starts even earlier. Then make sure you are not in the car at those times. Do you use the Waze navigation app? If you enter the destination, you will also receive an indication of how busy it is. That also helps you determine whether you want to drive a little earlier or later to spend less time standing still.
Stay in your lane
Sometimes another lane seems to go faster. Then it is tempting to switch. Its profit is very limited. By switching you can even make the traffic jams worse. Other traffic may have to apply the brakes, which can cause delays. What does help if you stay in your lane: try to keep a regular pace. Truck drivers do the same and at the same time ensure a slightly lower fuel consumption.
Use the rush-hour lane or interchange lane
You can use a reversing lane at various highways and interchanges. It usually skips a few exits (so pay attention to where you have to go). If you do have to drive over a longer distance, you can save time by using the rush-hour lane. The same applies to emergency lanes where a green arrow is lit above during traffic jams or crowds: you may also drive there. And you can ignore the solid line on the road in that case. It can even be a good bet to drive in that right lane because it often drives slowly but regularly.
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With navigation apps less time lost due to a traffic jam
Most navigation apps have an option to take traffic into account. TomTom Go, TomTom AmiGo, Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze or, for example, Flitsmeister keep you away from traffic jams. A lot of separate car navigation equipment and increasingly the built-in navigation of the car also do that. They give a different route in good time if it can be faster. With an app like ANWB Road you can also check at home whether you will encounter traffic jams on your way.
Make good use of time
If you are stuck in a traffic jam, you can unexpectedly make good use of the time. For example, by listening to your favorite podcast or setting up an audiobook.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl