Word of the Day: Rubbernecking
Rubbernecking is a significant problem during the morning or evening commute.
Anyone who commutes to work by car will know that accidents on the highway are all too common.
Accidents are bad enough, and they cause traffic jams, but rubbernecking after an accident is sometimes an even greater cause of traffic jams.
When people drive by an accident scene, they slow down to look at what happened. They are just too curious. This curiosity causes the cars behind them to slow down, which creates a knock-on effect.
Also, it may lead to secondary accidents because people are looking at the accident and not paying attention while driving.
You will hear radio reporters talking about it during morning traffic reports. They will say something like:
Traffic is backed up eastbound on the Lougheed Highway near the Cedar Valley Connector off-ramp. The vehicles involved have been moved off the road and traffic should be flowing smoothly, but rubbernecking is slowing things down.
When passing an accident, try not to rubberneck. Keep your eyes on the road and let the authorities do their job, and other drivers get to work on time.