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Anyone who lives in a major city knows that traffic is one of those niggling, persistent annoyances.
住在大城市的人都知道，交通是一直困扰我们的问题之一。
And a new study has identified a potential cause: you're not keeping the right distance from the car behind you.
一项新的研究发现了一个潜在的原因，那就是：你与你身后的车辆，车距不当。
Which sounds like it can't be your problem since you can't control the guy that's staying uncomfortably close to your bumper. True.
听起来这不是你的问题，因为那个令人不快的家伙有多靠近你的保险杠，不在你的控制范围。的确。
But mathematical models show that if every car on the road kept the same distance between the car in front of AND behind it, traffic would move seamlessly and potentially even twice as fast!
但是数学模型显示，如果路上的每辆车都与前车后车保持相同的距离，那么交通将可以实现无缝流动，速度甚至可以达到现在的两倍。
But of course it's not that simple.
但这当然没那么简单。
Traffic is a great example of EMERGENT PROPERTY, a philosophical term used to describe the phenomenon of many small things compiling to create something bigger.
交通是诠释涌现性的一个良好范例，涌现性是一个哲学术语，它用来描述许多小东西凑在一起，形成更大的东西。
With traffic, it's the many individuals cars together forming a complex traffic mess.
对于交通，就是许多汽车个体凑在一起，造成交通混乱。
That's because humans bring a lot of variables to the mix.
这是因为人类为此带来了很多变量。
A driver is usually — and rightly — most focussed on the car she's following, but if she brakes hard the car behind her will have to brake a little harder.
司机通常最关注的是她的前车，这也是正确的做法，但是如果她用力刹车，她后面的车将不得不更用力地刹车。
If she gets close to another car the density in that one area will cause a slowdown.
如果她靠近另一辆车，那个区域的密度将导致速度下降。
Mathematical models have shown that, basically, at a certain density there are enough variables brought by human reaction time and individual driving habits to cause a traffic jam.
数学模型已经表明，基本上，在一定的密度下，人类反应时间和个人驾驶习惯带来了很多变量，这些变量足以导致交通堵塞。
We have a little on that right here.
我们这里就有一点。
Interestingly, this is a human problem.
有趣的是，这是一个人类问题。
Ants don't experience traffic jams; they move as quickly in small groups as they do on mass.
蚂蚁没有交通堵塞，它们的群体移动速度并不比个体移动速度慢。
Bats are the same.
蝙蝠也是一样。
They fly in large groups, each one tracking the bats around him with echolocation.
它们成群飞行，每一只蝙蝠都用回声定位追踪他周围的蝙蝠。
They play follow the leader, even if that leader is in the back of a pack, in an impressive display of group coordination.
它们在跟随领导者，即使那个领导者身处族群后部，它们也展现出了惊人的群体协调能力。
But we're not a colony, we're individuals!
但我们不是群居动物，我们是人！
Yeah, except that self-driving cars could bring this colony-like behaviour to humans.
是的，人类也就是在驾驶汽车时，才会呈现这种群居动物的运动行为。
A simple solution the new research offers is sensors to improve bilateral control in cars.
新的研究找到了一个简单的解决方案，就是提高汽车的双边控制能力。
Current adaptive cruise controls monitors the car ahead of you, providing it's not miles down the freeway.
当前的自适应巡航控制系统监控前方车辆，保证安全车距。
A similar rear-facing sensor would be an easy change to that same system.
与之类似，对于同样的系统，安装后方传感器只是一个简单的改变。
Looking back is really no harder than looking forward, and we wouldn't even need to change the roads.
回头看并不比向前看更难，我们甚至不需要改变道路。
The result would be well worth it.
结果是值得的。
Not only could we reduce the stress of rush hour driving, minimizing start-stop traffic would cut CO2 emissions and help you save fuel… and also make driving safer.
我们不仅可以减少高峰时间的驾驶压力，尽量减少车辆启停，减少二氧化碳排放，节省燃料…驾驶也更安全。
It could really be a win-win-win all around.
这真是一场全面的胜利。
For more insight into the science all around you, be sure to subscribe.
想要更加深入地了解你身边的科学，敬请订阅。
And speaking of weird traffic patterns, is anything truly random?
说到奇怪的交通模式，难道这些奇怪的模式真的是偶然存在的吗？
Jules dove into that one right here.
朱勒深入研究了一下这个问题。
Fun driving fact: driving while blindfolded is, weirdly, explicitly illegal in the state of Alabama.
趣味知识：亚拉巴马州有条奇怪的规定，其中明确蒙眼开车违法。
