Tips to Avoid Traffic Jams

Traffic jams are always a nuisance, and often it will be impossible to avoid them even if you steer clear of peak hours, key days, or have planned your route well. This is because, in many cases, congestion is caused by accidents that slow down traffic, and there's nothing you can do about it.

According to the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), the main causes of traffic jams and road congestion are a combination of factors that often feed into each other and can create the dreaded "accordion effect."

When the number of vehicles on a road exceeds its designed capacity (approximately 2,000 vehicles per lane per hour under optimal conditions), the road becomes saturated, leading to bottlenecks. This is especially noticeable during peak hours.

Accidents and breakdowns are other obvious causes, as they block lanes and slow down traffic flow. Any unexpected obstacle on the road forces drivers to slow down and manoeuvre.

Roundabouts, yield signs, or traffic lights, especially in urban areas and city entrances, force drivers to brake and can create "bottlenecks." Aggressive driving behaviour also causes traffic disruptions. Constant lane changes, sudden braking, not maintaining a safe distance, and unnecessary acceleration are behaviours that disrupt traffic flow and, in high-density conditions, trigger chain braking (accordion effect) that can paralyse traffic.

Also, the presence of rain, snow, fog, or strong winds reduces visibility and forces drivers to slow down and increase the safety distance, which inherently reduces the road's capacity, not to mention maintenance or infrastructure improvement works, which often require lane closures or detours, directly impacting traffic flow.

In many cases, these traffic jams are unavoidable, but there are many others where you can avoid them, as Fundación Mapfre highlights with this series of tips:

If you find yourself in the middle of a traffic jam, the first thing you should do is stay calm and not lose your nerves to try to handle it in the best way possible. Additionally, it's important to know how to drive in a traffic jam and carry out a series of recommended practices to make it more bearable.

The DGT insists that more relaxed driving, maintaining a proper safety distance, and a constant speed are key to mitigating the formation of so-called "phantom traffic jams" (those that form without an apparent cause like an accident or breakdown).